Hitman: Revelation
by AFishCalledMonty
Summary: It's been a year since 47 and Peregrine discovered the elusive hacker group Cicada 3301, but as they close the net around the remaining members Peregrine disappears leaving 47 to make a choice between his loyalties to the agency and the strange relationship with his new handler. Sequel to Hitman: Merces Letifer, rated T for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**A/U: Welcome back to my readers from the previous story, and a warm welcome to any new faces. This is a sequel, so if haven't read Hitman: Merces Letifer first some of this won't make sense, I advise you have a peruse of that story then come back to this one. Anyway, here it is, the story continues. We left Peregrine and 47 after their intense battle with Timothy Falon still looking for the elusive Cicada 3301 group. Enjoy and all reviews and advice welcome! :)**

Chapter 1

"Action!"

I adjusted my position as a reverent hush settled over the film set. I watched from the shadows as everyone around me focused on the scene being acted out in the center of the cavernous sound stage. Two actors were arguing with each other, in some intense lovers' quarrel I assumed. I didn't watch films; it was an odd activity to engage in as far as I was concerned. Sitting down to observe people pretending to be other people for fun, there were better ways to spend time.

I ignored the apparently emotional scene playing out in front of me, and turned my attention to my target. She was sat by an array of monitors, watching intently. She was a slight, middle aged, woman, with a beaky nose and quick, intelligent eyes. As the Producer of the film, she had a large binder clutched to her chest, and a mobile phone in one hand. She was whispering urgently to the stocky man next to her. He was obviously the Director, he had that air of assumed authority that most people in charge had.

"47, Roman is meeting someone after this scene. I just heard one of the electricians saying it's a private one to one with the studio CEO. Could be interesting." The familiar voice of my handler broke through my thoughts. Peregrine had hacked into the studio's sound system, and was using idle microphones to pick up conversations that I was nowhere near. Her ingenuity never failed to impress me.

With a last glance at Felicity Roman, I spun on my heel and walked silently away from the gathered crew. Making sure no one was around to hear, I murmured softly, "Do you know where the meeting is taking place?" There was a pause as Perry formed her answer.

"Outside, back of Studio 6. There appears to be a prop container there, plenty of cover." It had taken me a while to get used to how hands on Perry like to be, but after been assigned to her for over a year, her ability to assist remotely was invaluable. She had gone from strength to strength since that episode in Timothy Falon's basement. So much so we were now in high demand as a pair, clients were asking for her if there was a particularly difficult contract that required some form of hacking.

I made my way out the back of the sound stage, letting my eyes adjust for a second in the Los Angeles sun. The frenzied activity of the studio back lot swirled around me. Golf buggies carrying actors and Producers whizzed past, crewmembers were moving heavy equipment from sound stage to sound stage. I ignored the controlled chaos and stuck to the edge of the thoroughfare, keeping in the shadow of the huge metal buildings. Studio 6 was at the end of the avenue of sound stages; it looked relatively quiet compared to the other entrances.

"Schedule shows there's nothing assigned to this sound stage. Should be limited potential witnesses." I could hear Perry typing in the background, no doubt scanning the CCTV for any security. I had no problem in locating people myself, but having her already assessing things ahead, made me feel even more in control. "Two security guards patrolling the studio. No one outside."

I quickened my pace, slipping into the empty building. No one would question a crewmember walking around a sound stage; the security weren't going to be an issue. The noise from outside dimmed as the soundproofing took affect. My feet echoed slightly as I walked through the large, hangar like building. There were a few discarded sets in the middle, but otherwise there was little in the way of cover. I was automatically scanning for points of exit and hiding places as I neared the back entrance. Being in this environment was as easy as breathing; I was made to do this. It was the time between contracts I struggled to adapt to. Those dreaded periods, where I was neither killing someone, nor preparing to kill someone that seemed to itch at my mind like an irritating bug.

I heard the sound of footsteps above me on the lighting grid and made a mental note of the guard's location. The other must be somewhere else in the building, although I hadn't seen anyone. I trusted Perry to keep a tab on their whereabouts. The back entrance was slightly open, the huge metal doors letting in a crack of light from outside. I slipped through easily and took in my surroundings. Perry had been right, there was a large metal container positioned outside the sound stage with an assortment of props spilling out of it. Around it there wasn't much else, just a few abandoned lights, a golf buggy and two dumpsters. A large brick wall ran parallel to the back of the buildings, marking the edge of the studio back lot. I glanced towards the back of the sound stage joining this one, there was no one stood outside. The whole area was deserted.

Slowly I walked over to the prop locker and looked inside. There was no one in here, but there were a number of places to hide a dead body I noted. Along with the dumpsters, this place seemed to have been made to carry out a hit.

"They've just finished the scene 47, Roman will be making her way over to you soon." I advanced further into the container in response to Perry's warning.

Felicity Roman was an infamous Producer for ICO Films; she had created some of the best selling movies the studio had seen. But with the rise in her career her ego had followed suit, she was now an obsessive control freak that refused to let anyone else lead when it came to her films. Countless award winning Directors had turned down jobs with the studios due to her involvement, and her contract terms meant firing her would likely mean the end of the company when she invariably sued them. ICO Films had employed us to cause her untimely death in a horrific accident, thereby ending the monster they had created.

I concealed myself near the entrance of the container, hidden enough to be out of sight but still able to see the area outside. I only had to wait a few minutes before a golf buggy whirred into view carrying a large man dressed in an expensive suit. He was sweating copiously in the midday sun, as he heaved his bulk off the cart and rushed to stand in the shadow of the sound stage. This was Reginald Jenkins, the CEO of ICO Films, I had seen his bio in amongst Perry's intel. He was wheezing nosily, mopping his brow with a handkerchief he had produced from his top pocket.

"Jesus, I think our client needs to rethink his life choices a little. At the moment we'll be hiding two bodies here." I sighed quietly at Perry's comment. She was a gifted handler, but sometimes forgot I could hear her. I watched the man intently; he must know we were here. As a client he wouldn't be told when the hit would take place unless a specific deadline was given, even so once a contract was active most people expected it to happen soon. A flicker of suspicion crossed my mind; was he getting the target alone on purpose?

I didn't have long to mull over my thought, Roman arrived on foot, her beady eyes darting around furtively. She caught sight of the gargantuan CEO who had his back to her and made a beeline for him, her mouth set in a firm line.

"Afternoon Reggie. What's this all about? I'm in the middle of shooting." The large man jumped at the sound of her voice, he turned to face her, his face an alarming shade of red.

"Felicity, there you are." He smile at her, there was a nervous edge to his voice. She tapped her foot impatiently, the binder still clutched to her chest protectively.

"I don't have time for this Reggie, if you want to talk about my contract again you know where I stand. I've got another five years before you can let me go." Reggie sighed, the heat obviously sapping his patience.

"Felicity, please. I don't want another argument." I began to assess my surroundings; there might be something I could use in this container. The conversation continued outside.

"I've called you here because the board are pulling funding from 'Return of the Medusa'." I watched in fascination as Roman's mouth began to quiver in anger. Reggie seemed to physically shrink as her rage mounted.

"What do you mean, they've pulled my funding?" Her whole body was shaking now, for such a small woman the larger man appeared genuinely terrified of her. I raised one eyebrow as my curiosity took over.

"Now, now Felicity, this is why we met here, I didn't want you creating a scene." Reggie was holding his hands up, as if to shield himself from the Producer's fury.

"I am _not_ creating a scene Reginald. You cannot do this to me!" She threw the binder she was holding at the CEO with such strength that the pages exploded from it. The man was cowering now, his head bleeding slightly from where the corner of it had connected with him.

"I'm sorry Felicity, we'll find the money somewhere else. It's just, times are hard at the moment." The woman watched as her papers fluttered down and settled around them.

"You'd better Reggie, I'm not stopping now, this is going to be my masterpiece." The CEO shuffled sheepishly around the angry Producer. She began to gather her scattered binder, the rage beginning to subside. Reggie climbed into the golf buggy he had arrived in, his wheezing increased greatly. Just before he drove off he glanced up above Felicity's head. Immediately I followed his gaze and understood why he had lured her to this particular spot.

There was a large, grand piano suspended high above on a winch attached to the building.

"Amazing." I heard Perry chuckle in my ear. "That has to be a first, the client setting up the kill." I ignored her, she was talking to herself as much to me and I had become accustomed to her inappropriate narration. Reggie drove away leaving Felicity picking up her binder directly under the heavy instrument.

I repositioned myself slightly to get a better angle. Slowly I drew my silenced pistol from the crew uniform I was wearing. Taking a second to make sure the target was below the deadly weight, I took aim and fired. The cable holding it snapped with a ping, and the piano seemed to descend in slow motion. Just before it made impact, Felicity looked up registering the impending danger. Her look of terrified realisation was one that was very familiar to me; I had seen that look on hundreds of targets over the years.

The piano landed with musical thud, the sound of Felicity being crushed adding to the symphony of noise. "Target down. Well done 47."

Calmly, I holstered my pistol and moved quickly off towards the side of the sound stage. I heard the heavy footsteps of one of the security guards running towards the commotion as I rounded the corner, headed back towards the busy section of the back lot.

"Oh my God." I heard him exclaim as he came across the gruesome scene. I didn't turn to look at him, just continued to make my way towards an exit.

"Uh oh." I heard Perry exclaim, before I could ask her what was wrong the second security guard I hadn't been able to spot earlier came running towards me, gun raised. He was blocking my exit, and he didn't look ready to believe I wasn't involved in whatever had just happened.

"Stop! Don't move!"

I slowed to a steady walk, but didn't completely stop. The guard's eyes widened as I advanced slowly on him.

"What are you doing here? Who are you?" I was satisfied by his terrified expression that he wasn't going to shoot me. You could just tell by a person's eyes whether they had it in them or not, and this guy looked like he would rather be anywhere else but here right now. He began to panic as I reached him, trying to back away. Without hesitating I gripped his arms and twisted them, forcing him to drop the weapon. Before he could react I placed a hand on the side of his head and drove it into the hard metal wall of the sound stage. There was a loud, metallic thunk as his skull connected; I felt his body go limp. I dropped him to the floor and continued walking.

"What was that Perry? Where did he come from?" I disliked being spotted; it left loose ends.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see him on the cameras. He was there when I looked before but he vanished." I could hear the confusion in her voice, she also sounded weary.

"It's okay Peregrine, I handled it." I was almost at the security gate to the studios.

"47, before you go we've been sent another contract for a Cicada member." I passed through the gate with little effort, my disguise doing its job.

"You want to meet in person again?" We had done a number of these now, every time we took one down it seemed to lead to another member. The agency preferred us keeping the contracts as low key as possible, no electronic trail.

"Yes. Grand Central?" Perry asked. I was a safe distance from the studio complex now; I prepared to end the video link with my handler.

"Grand Central. See you tomorrow." I replied curtly, cutting the line between us.

….

The impressive atrium of Grand Central station was now a familiar sight to me. Since Peregrine had relocated her base to New York, I had met her here a number of times to receive intel on the Cicada contract. She seemed to like the busyness of the terminal, and had told me she would come here a lot to think. It wasn't good protocol to talk with other operatives about anything other than business, but she had never been one for protocol. Besides, I quite enjoyed listening to her life outside of work; her infectious enthusiasm and curiosity about everything amused me.

I walked the usual route through the main area of the station, and towards one of the tunnels leading to the platforms. Brown tiles covered the walls, and the low tungsten lighting gave the feeling you were stepping back in time. The tunnel widened into a junction, a circular room with pathways leading off to different destinations. Commuters weaved purposefully between each other. I made my way over to the low bench set back in an alcove on one wall of the room. It was empty; she was late.

I sat down and observed the rushing crowd. The shape of the room gave off strange acoustics, footsteps and voices sounded distant even when they were right next to me. I knew Perry used this place to people watch, another strange hobby she had along with her online vigilante service. She thought I didn't know about it, but I had seen her advert on the deep web when she first started. Technically I should have reported it to the agency, but I saw no harm in her returning some justice to the world. If there was a thing I valued in life it was fairness.

I saw a familiar figure making their way through the crowd towards me. I didn't turn to look at her, we were supposed to appear separate, but I could see her out of the corner of my eye. She had a slight limp in her right leg; her knee still not fully healed even a year on from her ordeal. She was dressed in her usual shirt and jeans, her long brown hair drawn back in a ponytail. As she got closer I could see her notice me, she slowed her pace slightly and sat down. She left a big enough gap so no one would assume we were together, but close enough to keep our voices low.

"You're late." I sensed her stiffen at my accusation.

"I got…sidetracked." Her British accent had a strange lilt to it. I had never thought to ask where she was from; it made her voice very distinct. She was being vague, but if she was hiding something that was her business, I wasn't one to pry.

"Who is it this time?" I saw her turn her head a little, giving me a sideways look. Even from this angle I could see her intelligent, brown eyes assessing me.

"No chit chat, straight to business?" Her mouth was turned up at the corner. I felt mine twitch in response.

"Yes Perry, if you don't mind." Her mouth stretched into a grin as she turned away to face forward again. I didn't know why she always found me so amusing, I wasn't trying to be funny. The girl had no fear about her, she had been catapulted into a world most people would run screaming from, but she had reveled in it. She also had no fear when it came to me, she had seen me break a man's neck right in front of her, and then seconds later had looked quite content as I carried her in my arms.

"Fine, if you insist. The next target is Antonio Bianchi, elusive hacker activist responsible for leaking sensitive government information on Wiki-leaks. Turns out he's a front man for Cicada's plan to infiltrate the world's banks. He may have intel on the leader of the group." She paused and gave me a sideways look, "Although if I had a penny for every time I've said that in this seemingly never-ending mission I could buy this place." She indicated the place we were sat in with her head. I felt my mouth pull up into a half smile.

"Security level?" She sighed and withdrew a phone she had in her pocket.

"This guy's online security is tight, as you would expect. His physical security? Not so much. He relies on hiding rather than fighting." She placed the phone on the bench between us and slid it towards me. I laid a hand over it, discreetly picking it up. "Your challenge is going to be finding him, then getting close to him. He is extremely paranoid. Me just getting that intel set off about ten alarms." She rubbed her face with a hand.

"Tired?" I saw her body sag slightly in response to my question.

"I'm fine, just burning the candle at both ends again." For the first time I turned my head to see her better.

"Is that why you missed that security guard yesterday?" Her eyes locked onto mine. I could feel her heart pick up pace through the air between us.

"I said I was sorry." I shook my head.

"I wasn't accusing you, I'm just pointing out you need to look after yourself Perry." She looked down, breaking away from my stare. "I need you at your best when we're working together." Now I was facing her I could see the evidence of my words; there were dark circles under her eyes and her face looked slimmer than when we had last met. She was defiantly hiding something from me, with a gentle sigh I gave into my no prying rule.

"What's wrong?" She looked back up at me, her expression a careful mask of cheeriness, but I had seen a flash of something else before she could hide her emotions from me. Fear.

"Nothing, I'm just working too hard 47." She resumed her forward facing position, I frowned at her unusual reluctance to talk. Normally I couldn't shut her up once I had shown an interest in her life. "Take a look at the intel I've gathered, I'll contact you in a week when I've got a good handle on his rough location."

Something was wrong, but I had a new contract to think about. I pushed the nagging suspicion to the back of my mind and looked away from her, nodding slowly.

"Ok." She gave me a last glance, her expression uncertain like she wanted to tell me something. She thought better of it though, and began to walk away. Her limping gait drawing my eye to her even when the crowd enveloped her. I stared down at the phone she had given me; it was a nondescript smart phone. How very like Peregrine to give me her intel digitally. I carefully placed it my jacket pocket and strode off towards the platform that would take me out of here.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The methodical process of cleaning my pistol gave me a sense of calm, it busied my hands and focused my brain. I was sat in my hotel room in Seattle, I always kept moving, settling didn't suit me. It was early morning, two days after meeting with Perry in New York. I had been thinking about her weird behavior more than I would have liked to, but my mind didn't seem to want to let it go. I couldn't put my finger on exactly why it was bothering me, and I resolved to keep a closer eye on her in the mean time.

I finished assembling my gun, pulling the slider back to check it still loaded correctly. Satisfied, I placed it on the table in front of me and looked out the window at the dawn beginning to lighten the horizon. I rarely slept more than three hours, my body didn't like being vulnerable for too long. I assumed it was a quirk in my genetics that I could function fine on very little sleep, when others would crumble from exhaustion.

I turned my attention to my work laptop next to me on the table. I had connected Perry's phone to it and was flicking through the intel she had gather on Bianchi. Since killing Timothy Falon, Cicada's recruiter, we had dispatched ten more members of the elusive hacker group. Every time we thought we had crippled, them another key player appeared. I was beginning to suspect there was no one 'leader', but multiple heads to this hydra we had discovered. The agency was keen for us to eradicate them, not only had they threatened to infiltrate the formidable organisation, they had also uncovered the identity of one of their operatives meaning they could do it again. Peregrine's vendetta against them was easily understandable; they had killed one of her friends and knew who she was, this put her family at risk too.

Bianchi was the eleventh Cicada contract we had been given, and as I searched his bio he seemed a likely candidate for a prominent member. He was a renowned hacker, one that would give Peregrine a run for her money. He was wanted for leaking highly secure government documents detailing troop movements and prisoner treatment. He was politically minded, opposing the status quo of pretty much every major country in the world, and no one knew where he was. Perry had been right about his paranoia, he was using a program to set off sightings around the globe simultaneously covering his real location.

Suddenly my laptop alerted me to an incoming call. I frowned as I registered the caller as Diana, I clicked on the ICA program excepting the encrypted call.

"47, it's Diana." Her familiar clipped voice sounded tinny through the laptop speakers.

"I know. What do you want?" I wasn't worried about offending her, we had worked together long enough for her to understand my curt responses.

"I know this isn't protocol, but there is something I need to ask you." Diana had never been one to do things by the book; she had been the first handler to seek direct contact with their agent. She had also been responsible for the ICA's blip nearly 10 years ago when she had stolen Victoria from them. Still, as a high-ranking member of the board now, I would have expected her to go through the normal channels to reach me.

"Why can't you get Peregrine to ask me?" She sighed quietly; I seemed to have hit the nail on the head.

"The request I have involves her 47." I trusted Diana with my life; this trust had been literal in the past, but I had a certain loyalty to maintain with my current handler.

Careful to keep my feelings out of my voice, I asked, "What is your request?"

There was silence from the laptop; I could tell she was thinking how to phrase what she wanted to say. "The ICA has received a number of cyber attack alerts over the last few months, we can't pinpoint where they are coming from and they haven't managed to find anything incriminating…yet." My frown deepened.

"May I remind you we are currently trying to take apart a known hacker group, the odds are it's them." My voice was even, I didn't like where she was steering this.

"That is what we thought, at first. But the attacks are targeting particularly sensitive information, not just operative identities. This suggests it is someone who already has access to our system, an active operative." Her words started to sink in, and I looked out of the window again at the rising sun.

"You think it's Perry." I could almost see Diana nodding at my statement.

"Yes, she is the most likely suspect. She is the most experienced hacker we have, and the person doing this is definitely skilled." The sun was turning the buildings a dusky shade of orange.

"Why would she hack the ICA? It doesn't make any sense." My voice was distant; I was speaking out loud rather than to Diana.

"I don't like this anymore than you do 47. I trained her, and I trust her too. But I can't deny the evidence when it's right in front of me. The board would like you to monitor her closely, just to rule her out." I rubbed my face slowly, thinking through what she was asking me.

"You want me to spy on my handler?"

"47, I'm asking you because I know you'll be fair with her. I hope we are wrong and she is innocent, but I would prefer you to be the one to find out rather than another agent that's doesn't know her so well." Her words made sense. Another agent couldn't be trusted not to take the initiative if she was found to be betraying the agency. At least I would let her talk first; explain her reasons.

"Fine. I'll report back if I find anything, but I'm not doing this long term."

"Understood 47, and thank you."

The line went dead. The sun had illuminated the city of Seattle, the morning bustle starting in the streets below. I turned back to the laptop and opened a new email from the agency. It was a business class ticket on the first flight back to New York.

….

Peregrine was smart. She was smarter than she made out a lot of the time. It was the reason she had excelled so quickly at her job, and it was the reason she was managing to avoid me now. When she had first started at the agency I had kept a careful eye on her; occasionally visiting her in Copenhagen when she was training, watching her meet with Carlton Smith in London. She had been easy to find and easy to track, but now…well, I was struggling to keep tabs on her. It didn't help me believe she wasn't up to something.

I knew she was based in New York, but as was normal I didn't know where she actually lived. I had found her London base last year purely by following her, but over the course of the year she had picked up some tips on how to avoid detection. My only lead was that she liked to sit in Grand Central station, so that was where I had been for the last three days. I was getting frustrated, it didn't happen often but I didn't like staying in one place too long. I had thought about arranging to meet her a few times, but I was unsure whether she would see through me and know I was digging for something. I was not built to be a private detective; I was built to be a killer.

I glared at the clock suspended above the station's ticket office. A nearby woman gave me a nervous look and sidestepped to a safe distance. It was 3:15pm; I had been here since six in the morning. I was about to start my routine circuit around the station when a girl with a subtle limp entered the main atrium. My whole body stilled, instincts kicking in. I followed her with my eyes as she walked through the crowds; she was headed for the tunnels. Once she was a suitable distance away I began my pursuit of her. I knew where she was going, it was the same spot we had met a few days ago. There weren't many places for me to keep out of sight there, it was probably why she liked the seat so much.

I kept back in the tunnel as she sat down on the bench situated in the junction. She looked worse than when I had last seen her. Her face had a weary look on it, the dark circles evident even from this distance. Although I had done this before, there was a feeling of unease as I watched her unseen. All those other times I had been just checking up on her, making sure she was happy with her new life. I don't know why I was so concerned, I just felt responsible for her being a part of this world. This time though, I was watching her as a target. A job was a job, but I still wasn't completely happy about doing it.

She stared out into the crowd, her gaze distant. I would wait until she moved and follow her, hopefully to her base. I watched her carefully, she seemed to be doing more than just people watching, she appeared to be waiting for someone. Every now and then she would look around as if scanning the crowd, then check her watch. About five minutes into repeating this ritual she stopped and stared off into one of the tunnels. A man in a leather jacket sauntered towards her, I froze as I recognised his face. It was that bird loving, low life, Birdie.

He had been my informant when I had gone against the agency, but he had proved unreliable and had turned against me. I adjusted my position to see them better, as the skinny, dark skinned man sat down beside my handler. What was Perry doing meeting him? I couldn't hear them; the usually helpful acoustics of the room were now working against me. Peregrine looked unsure and was keeping a careful distant between herself and the man. I found comfort in her unfamiliarity with him, at least they weren't too friendly.

I kept my eyes locked on the pair, they weren't aware of my presence. Birdie leant in towards Perry and I saw her shoot him a withering stare, he shrank back in shock. I smirked, she didn't look like a dangerous person but I knew she was a formidable character when angered. After a few moments of conversation I saw her sigh heavily and reach into her jean pocket for something. With a sinking feeling I saw her hand the untrustworthy informant a USB stick. _Peregrine, what are you doing?_ I thought in frustration. Diana would be disappointed.

Birdie examined the stick for a second before stowing it in his jacket. With a sly smile he produced an official looking file, which he handed to Perry. My eyes narrowed as I watch my handler accept payment for whatever she had done for him. If I knew Birdie, it probably wasn't good. I sighed; this was not what I had wanted to see. The only conciliation I could draw from this was that it still didn't prove she had tried to hack the ICA, but it wasn't looking good for her. Perry stood all of a sudden and with one last venomous look at Birdie she walked away. I watched as he smiled to himself before he followed suit and exited in the opposite direction.

I now had a choice, follow Peregrine as planned to her base in the city, or follow my ex-colleague and informant to try and pry the information of the meeting from him. It only took a millisecond to decide, pushing off from the tunnel wall I strode quickly and quietly after Birdie.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I felt a lot more comfortable pursuing Birdie than I had done tailing Peregrine. I moved through the crowds of commuters like a ghost, barely touching anyone. My eyes never left my target's back. He was making his way towards a platform, I kept a safe distance; Birdie was an ex-assassin so I had to exercise caution. He reached a busy platform and moved off towards the end. Frowning I followed behind, watching him push through the people packed together waiting to get home.

He reached the end and looked around furtively; I paused, turning my gaze away so he didn't see me. After a second Birdie hopped down off the platform and walked a little way along the tracks before disappearing round a bend. I waited a beat, so as not to draw attention to two men jumping off the platform. Happy no one was watching, I strode over to the ledge leading down to the tracks. With one last glance behind me I dropped down and walked quickly after Birdie.

I soon caught up with him as he was edging along the tracks, as I got a few feet away he ducked into a maintenance tunnel. Amazingly he still hadn't registered my approach; he was losing his touch. I rounded the corner and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, slamming him into the brick wall of the tunnel. Pinning him against the wall, I pressed my full weight into him. He grunted in surprise and pain, desperately trying to turn his head to see who I was.

"Fancy meeting you here." I growled into his ear. His struggles to free himself instantly stopped at the sound of my voice.

"Oh it's you homes. There was me thinking it was some low life after my money." His lazy, drawl was edged with nerves, despite his attempt at humour.

"Are you going to cooperate? Or am I going to have to persuade you?" He was struggling to breath as I waited for a response. I could see his dark eyes darting around, looking for an escape. Well, he wasn't going to find one.

"Depends what I'm cooperating with." I flipped him round to face me, forcing his back against the bricks and lodging my arm over his chest. His head snapped back, hitting the wall. I gave him a moment to collect himself, before slowly leaning my weight into the arm pinning him in place. His eyes bulged slightly as his air ways began to constrict.

"Alright, alright, what do you want?" Birdies' voice was strangled and I lessened the pressure on him, allowing him to speak clearly.

"Why were you meeting Peregrine?" I saw a flicker of surprise cross his face, then his expression changed to one of faux ignorance.

"I don't know anyone by that name homes." I sighed quietly and slid my arm up to press against his neck, then increased the pressure. He began to gargle, his hands clawing uselessly at my arm. My eyes narrowed as I watched him panic, waiting a suitable amount of time for him to value oxygen a little better. Eventually I leant back, freeing his airways. He gasped, his face red from exertion.

"Ok….ok. I met her." I stared into his eyes, all bravado fading as the reality of his situation sank in.

"Good, now _why_ did you meet her?" He raised his hands in surrender. I understood what he wanted and steadily released him. He bent double, clasping his knees as he coughed. I wasn't worried, he wasn't going anywhere now, he knew I could outrun and out fight him.

"Look, she's your handler isn't she? So why aren't you asking her?" He straightened up, leaning against the tunnel wall, breathing heavily. I drew my silenced pistol and held it suggestively in his line of sight, I saw his eyes widen at the weapon.

"Because I want to know why _you_ met her Birdie. Besides, we still need to have a talk about our last encounter, I haven't repaid you for betraying me to Travis and Dexter yet." The panic became evident on Birdie's face.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that homes. You know how it is?" My eyes narrowed at him.

"I'm not sure I do, but you were telling me why you met Perry." I leveled the gun at him and the colour drained from his face.

"She wanted intel." His voice was desperate as he eyed my pistol nervously. My patience was wearing thin, I sighed deeply as I studied the terrified man.

"What intel Birdie?" He swallowed, reluctant to tell me the details.

"She wanted the stuff I found on your girl Victoria, when I was searching for her." I frowned, confused by the answer he had given me. Of all the things I had imagined Perry selling us out for, that had not been top of the list. Birdie was eager to appease me now, babbling on, "I didn't ask why she was after it, just gave her all I had on her; medical reports, back ground details, that sort of thing."

My brain was working overtime, trying every possible scenario as to why Peregrine was interested in Victoria. But I was coming up blank. "I saw her give you something in return for your valuable services. What was it?" I needed to make sure she hadn't compromised the agency, the USB could contain incriminating information on us, I couldn't allow Birdie to keep it if that was the case. He glanced at the jacket pocket where he had stashed the USB.

"What this? You know I always come at a price homes. I knew your girl was a whizz online, and I needed some dirt on a nasty son of a bitch that's been threatening me for a while now. She just dug around in his history and gave me some juicy info that'll make him think twice before coming after me again." A sly smile stretched across his face, his confidence was returning, now that he had spilled the beans and I didn't look like I was going to kill him. I wasn't done with him yet though.

"You got any other information you shouldn't have regarding the agency?"

Birdie gave me a smug grin, "And what if I do? I need to protect myself homes, you understand. A man like me can't be left defenseless against a juggernaut like the ICA, look at the people you've got working for you." His smiled turned nasty, "For example your new handler. She's a smart cookie that one, and cute. I don't know which one I prefer, her or that old red head of yours." Without hesitating I shot him in the knee. The silencer did its job well, but Birdie's scream echoed off the walls of the tunnel we were in. There would be railway workers here soon if I wasn't careful. He had collapsed on the floor clutching his bleeding knee. I lowered myself down beside him and clamped a hand over his mouth. His screams became muffled, his eyes, huge and white, stared at me.

"That was a warning." My voice was low and quiet, the threat very eveident in my tone. "You're going to destroy anything you may have on Victoria, Diana or Peregrine. If I catch you compromising us again, whether it's to one of our operatives or not, I will find you and finish the job. Do you understand…homes?" He nodded vigorously against my hand; I placed my pistol down and gripped his injured knee, squeezing it tightly. Birdie let out a loud sob, his eyes watering.

"Mhyeff, I munherhanf." I let go of his mouth and leg, and straightened up slowly. Retrieving my pistol I holstered it and watched the man scrabble around trying to stand on his ruined joint.

"Good. Nice doing business with you Birdie. I hope I don't see you again." I began to walk away, leaving him hopping around behind me. He would be fine, Birdie was a survivor, and he had had worse injuries. He wasn't enough of a threat to risk exposing myself by killing him here. I knew if I needed to I could dispatch him and hide him where no one would ever find him. I knew he was aware of that as well.

As I lifted myself back onto the now empty platform, I considered my next move. Peregrine was gathering intel on Victoria, but why? At least she hadn't compromised the agency. Still, this development didn't sit well with me; I would have to keep watching her until things became clearer. I made my way back through Grand Central station and exited onto the busy New York street outside. Time to start my waiting game all over again.

…..

She appeared the next day. I watched her as she walked through the main atrium, but she didn't head towards our usual meeting place. Instead she continued walking until she was nearly out the other side. I kept a fair distance between us, frowning at this seemingly random behavior. She left the station and walked straight ahead down the sidewalk. Assuming she had used it as a short cut I remained focused on her retreating back.

She led me a few blocks, the New York foot traffic moving around me like a river. I easily avoided the people, never letting my eyes drift from Perry; I wasn't losing her a second time. She turned right abruptly and disappeared down an alley. I waited a moment to lengthen the gap between us, without the busy crowds of the main street it would be hard to hide my pursuit. Once I was satisfied she wouldn't notice me I followed her around the corner. The alley was empty; I frowned in confusion. There was no way she could have walked its length quick enough to evade me. Slowing my pace I scanned the narrow walkway for any signs of another exit. A back door was located halfway along, it was the only place she could have gone.

Walking silently up to the door, I quickly listened to see if there was movement on the other side. Nothing. I tried the door, it was unlocked, this must have been where she went. Slipping in and let the door close behind me, I was in a shop storage room. There were a number of shelves crammed with boxes, a few strip lights above lit the room just enough to see the shelves but not much around them. I took two steps in, then an annoyed voice made me freeze.

"I've told you before not to stalk me." I span around and saw Perry just visible in the shadows leaning next to the doorway I had entered through. Her arms were folded and she looked pissed off. I regarded her coolly; she didn't flinch under my stare. "What are you doing 47?"

I sighed, raising an eyebrow at her. "I could ask you the same thing." She looked surprised by my response. I moved to stand in front of her, she craned her neck to look up at me, my height always seemed to annoy her.

"I'm currently asking my agent why he feels the need to follow me, when he could just ask to see me." She was avoiding the question, her mask of confidence was good but I was better at seeing through it. There was that edge of fear to her expression again. What was she hiding?

"I saw you with Birdie Perry." The mask disappeared completely, and I watched as her face drained of colour. She unfolded her arms and held her head in her hands for a moment. I waited patiently for her to collect her thoughts. When she looked back up at me her brown eyes were filled with fear.

"Have you told the agency?" I shook my head, her body relaxed visibly. I remained silent, letting her explain herself to me. "Do you know what I got from him?" My mouth stretched into a thin line at the memory of my meeting with Birdie yesterday.

"I may have persuaded him to tell me." Despite her fear, she rolled her eyes at my comment.

"I hope you didn't damage him too much 47, I may still need him." I glared at her then.

"Peregrine, you're already treading on thin ice fishing around in the agency's past. They suspect you of trying to hack into their system as well. Why would you continued to make things worse?" My sudden anger didn't perturb her, to the contrary she seemed to flare up matching my annoyance.

"I'm not compromising the ICA if that's what you're suggesting." My eyes narrowed dangerously at her.

"I don't buy that Perry. You're hiding something." She had moved a step closer to me so we were almost toe-to-toe now. We stared at each other angrily for a minute, I wasn't sure if I was more frustrated at her for jeopardizing her job at the agency or for lying to me. Diana had done the latter to me before and I hadn't minded, when it came down to it everyone was out to protect themselves, so why did Perry doing it bother me so much?

Maybe it was because I had chosen her to be my handler; it gave me a certain accountability for her actions. Or maybe it was because I liked her. I shook the alien feeling from my head as my handler continued to stare daggers at me. Absolutely no fear, I thought again.

Finally, her anger began to fade, and the wide-eyed look returned. "47, please trust me when I say I am not trying to betray anyone." She paused, thinking about her next words, "But I can't tell you what I am doing, sorry." Her words were sincere, but telling. She was up to something; she had practically admitted it.

"Why Victoria?" She looked down, avoiding my gaze.

"I can't tell you why." My anger at her secrecy finally erupted.

"Damn it Morgan!" She looked at me sharply, using her real name was a strict break in protocol. She blinked at me in shock, the hot anger coursing through me felt odd. Emotions were not something that bothered me usually; I had been designed to not feel like other people. The strength of my feelings now took me by surprise and a heavy silence fell between us.

"You shouted." She looked stunned. Closing my eyes I quickly got control of myself. "Perry, Diana sent me to spy on you." I heard her sharp intake of breath, under the harsh strip lighting I noticed how utterly exhausted she looked.

"47, I have to do this. I truly hope I find nothing, that someone is just sending me on a wild goose chase." Suspicion clouded my thoughts.

"A wild goose chase? Is this Cicada?" She didn't look me in the eye; I knew I was right. "You can't trust them Perry." She gave a big sigh.

"I know, but I just need to make sure. If what they claimed is true, well, I don't think you'd be happy about it either." I raised an eyebrow at her quizzically.

"And you're really not going to tell me what they said?" She shook her head sadly, an apology written on her face.

"Are you going to tell Diana?" I looked away from her and pursed my lips. I should do, Diana had given me this job to find out what she was up to. However, Peregrine wasn't one to do something rash for no reason. I decided to give her a chance, if only for a little while. She watched me deliberate, biting her lip anxiously.

"No." She smiled at me in relief.

"Thank you." I locked her with a steely glare.

"But if I find out you've sold us out to them, I _will_ do my job Peregrine. Understood?" Her brow furrowed, and her mouth stretched into a thin line. She didn't look scared at my threat, just determined. What was she looking for?

"Fine. Maybe if we take them down first, the ICA won't come baying for my blood." My mouth twitched, despite my frustration with her I had to admit she was brave. She gave me a small grin. The amicable truce was interrupted by the sound of a phone alert. Perry looked momentarily confused before reaching into her pocket and withdrawing her smart phone. She stared at it for a second, the screen casting a strange light onto her face. I waited, watching her process whatever her phone was showing her. Suddenly she looked up at me, her eyes glinting with excitement.

"I've got him." She held her phone up to show me a map with a small red dot on it. "I've got the location of Bianchi."

I stared at her. I wasn't about to forget this conversation, but I had to do my job first. "Where is he?" She glanced at the phone again, her tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Tokyo." She looked back up at me, grinning broadly. "Better brush up on your Japanese 47."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Oh my God, this fucker is really starting to annoy me now."

I managed not to react externally to Perry's growl of frustration over the earpiece; the urge to smirk was strong though. The bright lights of Tokyo flashed incessantly at me, I was sat in an Internet café just off from the Shibuya Crossing. The busy intersection was flooded with people this time in the evening, making their way home. Peregrine had gained control of the computer in front of me and was currently trying to pinpoint Bianchi's exact location within the city.

I had arrived here yesterday and although we had narrowed down the possible places he could be hiding, we still didn't know for sure where he would be and in a city of over 37 million occupants this was an issue. Perry had been throwing everything she had at his cyber security, it had put up a good fight but gradually she was inching closer and closer to our target.

"It keeps intercepting my tracker with decoys. I thought this thing had breathed its last already." My eyes flicked from the crossing outside to the screen in front of me. The mouse was whizzing around the desktop, and reams of code were materializing out of thin air.

"Is this going to take much longer Perry?" I heard her sigh in annoyance, the typing in the background matching the speed with which numbers and letters were appearing.

"Do you want to try? Be my guest 47." I raised my eyes to the ceiling in exasperation. She had been moody since she had started the call with me. It seemed Bianchi was testing her patience and I was the scapegoat for her frustration. Suddenly the frantic typing stopped and computer screen yielded what looked like a set of coordinates.

"Hah! There I knew I could do it." She highlighted the line of digits and brought up a map with the location pinpointed. "That's where he is 47." I watched as she searched the address and brought up a number of images, the location already filed away in my memory. "It looks like an empty office facility in the Shinagawa district." Screens flashed up as Perry did the quickest intel gathering I had seen. Even I was struggling to keep up with what she was doing. "Jackpot." There was a menacing edge to her excited exclamation.

"Good news?" I asked drily.

"The whole building has an internal network which controls security. Bianchi appears to be using it to his advantage currently by monitoring the building and its surroundings." I tried to find the positive in her words.

"And that is good because…?" She huffed in exasperation at my apparent slowness.

"It's good because if I can get in, I can control his whole defense system. Cameras, motion triggers, lights, door locks, everything."

"Seems too easy for my liking." I had seen jobs like this before, from the outside straightforward but when it came down to it there was always a hidden complication.

"I said _if_ I can get in. This guy has already shown he's no idiot when it comes to computers. I might not get control, but the system is there." I nodded, understanding her warning. I would have to be aware of the digital security risk until Perry gave me the all clear from her end.

"Fine. Then you better get started. It'll take me half an hour to get there, I'll set up a visual link once I am at the coordinates." I could hear her typing again, the computer in front of me shut down as she broke the remote link to it.

"Okay, happy hunting." I heard the smile in her voice as she quoted my former handler. Our previous fraught conversation had been forgotten, at least for the duration of the contract. Diana had asked me if I'd found anything before I had departed for Japan, I had said I was still looking. Lying to her hadn't been an issue for me, but not knowing Perry's intentions had made me uneasy when stalling Diana's investigation.

I stood up and quietly exited the Internet café, a few patrons watched me go curiously. Being an extremely tall, bald man in Japan didn't work in my favour when I didn't want to draw attention to myself. I joined the flow of people walking the Shibuya crossing planning my next move. The target was in an isolated, empty office building. I was unsure whether he was alone, but judging by the bio Peregrine had retrieved on him he didn't like company. His paranoia would simultaneously be an advantage, due to his limited personal security, and a hindrance, he was likely going to be suspicious of me if I just tried to walk through the front door.

I straightened my red tie as I boarded the metro to the Shinagawa district of the city. It was looking like I would have to go for the completely undetected approach; this plan would be a lot easier if Perry did manage to hack into Bianchi's system. If not…well, I found nothing was really impossible, just challenging. Twenty minutes on the metro later I was walking down a much quieter street, the glaring lights a distant memory in this demurely lit avenue of industrial offices and factory buildings. All the workers had gone home and there was only the occasional pedestrian wandering through on their way to another destination.

I ran my eyes over the offices, scanning the numbers displayed in Japanese, looking for the one Perry had located. It was situated right at the end of the street, set slightly apart from the other complexes. It looked quiet and empty; there was no company sign on the exterior of the building. It was a very modern looking office, the outside was white and clean, the structure rounded at the corners so it looked like a futuristic box rather than a building. I was stood on the other side of the road, being careful to stay in the shadows. It didn't look like anyone was at the windows, but I didn't know where the cameras Perry had warned me about were currently located.

After a few minutes of assessing the area I initiated the video link with Peregrine in New York. The familiar crackle of my handler connecting sounded in my earpiece, there was a beat of silence before she spoke.

"I haven't managed to make much progress with Bianchi's security system as you can imagine 47, so all safety measure are still active and in his control." I continued staring at the target's base, still nothing, it definitely appeared from anyone passing by to be unoccupied.

"Understood. Any idea if he is alone in there?"

"Not sure, but it's highly unlikely. The man is the most paranoid person I have seen, so no annoying security guards." I raised one eyebrow even though I knew she couldn't see me do it. "On the one hand that's a plus, on the other…well, you're going to have go full ninja to get to him." She echoed my exact thoughts on the way here. I checked my pockets for my lock pick, I had the feeling I was going to need it. I was about to move towards the house when Perry chimed in. "There's one more thing 47. As with all Cicada contracts I am obliged to gather any intel the target has on the group, however judging by my struggle to even find this guy I have a feeling this isn't going to be as straight forward as all the other contracts." I paused, waiting for her impending request. "If I can't access the system here I may need you to intercept the intel manually."

"And how do I do that?" I wasn't overly keen handling this side of things, I knew enough about computers to help me on jobs but nowhere near the amount that Perry did. In the rare occasions I had had to be guided by her, I had always felt a little out of my depth. A feeling I wasn't especially keen on.

"You still have the phone I gave you with Bianchi's intel?" I slowly held it up in front of her POV camera to answer her question. "Good. If I can't get in remotely you can use that to download the information. You will need to find a terminal though."

"Terminal?" I heard her make an annoyed sound.

"A computer, a screen and a keyboard and a big tower thing with lots of wires. Yes?" I didn't like her tone today. It had a harsher than usual edge to it.

"Yes."

"Okay, let's get this show on the road. The only viable access point I can see from the blueprints is a delivery entrance around the side." I slowly began to walk further down the street, planning on flanking the building and avoiding anything seeing my approach.

"I'm going to need eyes on this Perry, having only discovered the location half an hour ago I haven't had time to go over the layout." I heard her typing continuously in the background, it was an oddly comforting sound now, it meant I knew she was constantly keeping a look out even when she wasn't speaking.

"I'm aware of that 47, I have also only had the information for half an hour. I've pulled the blueprints from the city archives and have a rough idea where cameras will be based on that. Until I get into the system however I can't be sure if Bianchi has added any. Also, the side entrance is the only door you'll be able to lock pick, all others are electronically locked." I sighed, there was undeniably something off with her today.

I had made it round to the side of the building by walking a wide arch from the other side of the road and through some undeveloped scrubland. It was unusual to see an empty patch of land in Tokyo; it meant the office had a good view of anyone approaching it. I wondered if this why Bianchi had chosen it. I ould see the door Perry had been talking about, a bright LED light illuminated it from the side of the building. It was the first sign of life I had seen in this place and it made me uneasy.

"Perry, the light is on." The constant sound of typing paused.

"Yes, and?" This was very unlike her.

"And the office is meant to be empty. Why would he leave the light on if he wants people to keep thinking that? Empty offices don't usually waste electricity." The pause stretched on.

"Good point. Hang on." The typing resumed in earnest. I waited patiently, crouched down in amongst the tall grass inhabiting the wasteland next to the building. I could see a CCTV camera pointed at the doorway, the smallest hint of a red light evident on it. As I waited for Perry to investigate I heard a car pull up nearby. My body tensed automatically at the noise, my senses pin sharp as I assessed my surroundings. The dull thud of a car door shutting echoed in the quiet street. I stilled my breathing, unsure who was approaching. Footsteps connecting with the concrete of the sidewalk reached me and I could sense a person drawing nearer. A man rounded the corner of the building I was watching and walked into the bight white light I had just been querying. He stopped and glanced around, clearly nervous of anyone spotting him.

This wasn't my target. I had seen a photo of him, a short, dumpy man with thick-rimmed glasses and an Italian complexion. This man was skinny, pale and Japanese. I shifted slightly, careful not to alert him to my presence. "Peregrine?" I murmured softly, I knew she would hear me in her headset though.

"What? Oh…interesting." We both watched as the Japanese man stood awkwardly at the door, tapping furiously into a phone. After a few moments the door opened as if by itself and he slipped in.

"I wonder who he is." Perry thought out loud. I slowly made my way over to the door, careful not to get into the camera's line of sight.

"Any luck hacking the security system?" I asked her pointedly, as I drew my silenced pistol.

"No, still working on it. You'll have to work a little harder for a change." I ignored her cheeky comment and aimed my gun at the lone camera. It let out a small fizzle as the bullet disabled it. I stood up and strode over to the door, making quick work of the lock I cracked the door open a little to peer inside. The interior was very dimly lit, obviously to avoid light leaking to any windows. I could see a stairway near the doorway and a large empty expanse directly in front of me. What little light there was, was coming from the top of the stairs. I assumed this was where the man I had just seen enter had gone.

'There isn't a basement on the blueprints, so we can presume Bianchi is upstairs with his unexpected guest." Perry again echoed my thoughts exactly, and I quietly closed the door behind me. Darkness pressed in on me as the harsh LED light from outside was cut off. I didn't mind I preferred the darkness, easier to stalk my prey. I stayed as still as I could, listening intently for any signs of human life. There was the barest hint of footsteps above me; sure of my target's location I walked softly up the stairs. I kept alert for cameras, but so far the only one I had encountered was the exterior one.

At the top of the stairs I was met by a heavy Japanese style wooden door, it had an electronic lock. It appeared my manual approach was coming to a screeching halt. "An update Perry." I could still hear furious typing, she didn't respond to me straight away. I waited, crouched in front of the door listening to the sounds of distant footsteps. They were definitely on this floor.

"Nearly…hang on." The stress was evident in her voice. "I'm not all the way in, but I might be able to remotely access the lock on that door." There was a beat of quiet before I heard a mechanical click followed by a beep. The door was open. As I slid the door to one side I reflected on how quickly I had adjusted to working as a team rather than completely relying on my own abilities. The thought didn't sit well with me, but I couldn't deny the partnership had come easy and without me realising.

"There may be a number of cameras up ahead 47. Most of them are on the blue prints, but what little I've glimpsed of the system suggests there's a new one that Bianchi has added." I slowed my pace instinctively and began scanning my surroundings. She was right, a short way along the corridor there were two cameras positioned on either wall. The end of the corridor wasn't much further on; placed on the far wall I saw a camera of a different design. It had a number of wires protruding from it, and a green light winking brightly.

"I think I see Bianchi's camera."

"Yup, that's the one. It'll be fitted with a motion sensor, so be extra careful of it." I assessed the angles of the three cameras, the corridor was pretty much a no go area.

"Perry, give me another route." Her typing was slower than before; I waited for her response when she suddenly let out a triumphant crow.

"Yes! I'm in. Ha ha!" I winced slightly at the loud noise in my ear.

"Perry?" She immediately collected herself.

"Sorry, okay. Forget the other route 47, I'm taking control of the cameras now." I watched as the one green and two red lights went out for five seconds then came back on. "I've frozen the image, your coast is clear."

I didn't hesitate, as quietly as I could I sped down the corridor and headed toward the sound of voices. Perry assisted my progress, as she unlocked doors in my path as I encountered them. I tracked the sounds to a private office room near the front of the building. I crouched near the windowless door, listening to the conversation.

"Antonio, I don't think this is a good idea man." The wavering, high-pitched voice of the Japanese man carried easily though the wood. His accent had an American twang, synonymous with someone who had learnt English through online classes. Bianchi's voice by comparison was deep, confident with a strong Italian accent.

"It will be fine Hozumi. You need to have more faith in me." The door I was next too suddenly clicked and beeped quietly at me.

"You can go in 47, they're on the other side of the room and there is a massive computer setup hiding your entry point." Trusting my handler's assessment of the room I silently crept in. My vision was indeed impaired by a large bank of screens and computer towers, which faced away from me into the room. I positioned myself behind it, confidently ignoring the cameras pointed at me. I could see two sets of feet through a small gap in the equipment and focused my attention back on the exchange between the two men.

"I could lose my job over this, or worse. Do you know how many people are after your head?" The Italian man laughed mockingly.

"If I worried about every head of state and mafia boss that wanted me dead, then I wouldn't have time for anything else." His voice became low and serious. "Now do you have the data or not?"

There was a brief pause as the other man fumbled around trying to locate what Bianchi had asked for. The target let out a dark chuckle as he was presumably handed the data he had requested.

"Molto bene Hozumi. Grazie, the other pilgrims will be grateful for your sacrifice."

"47, I've just found intel on our uninvited party crasher there." I switched my attention to my handler's voice in my earpiece. "That is Hozumi Aki, the head of cyber security for Taikin Trust Bank, one of the biggest banks in Japan. It seems Cicada are pushing forward with their plan to infiltrate the world's money." I renewed my monitoring of their conversation with heightened interest.

"No one can know I've given you that Antonio. I shouldn't even have come to tonight, why couldn't I have just sent it?" The other man sighed impatiently.

"You of all people should know this Hozumi, but a file transfer can be intercepted. Nothing beats the personal touch sometimes, although I am risking my own safety as much as yours to have you here." The target walked away from Hozumi advancing on his impressive computer setup. I slowed my breathing and stilled every muscle to avoid detection. The Japanese man followed Bianchi, his voice hushed and urgent as he spoke.

"My sources on the deep web have heard the ICA are after your lot. Is that true?" Bianchi stopped a few feet from my hiding place and turned to face Hozumi.

"Only unsuccessful revolutions happen without ruffling any feathers. We've just disturbed a particularly nasty breed of vulture." I heard the other man squeak slightly at Bianchi's answer.

"Is that a yes? Oh God, I shouldn't be here Antonio." The target was growing bored of his guest.

"Hozumi, I find it hard to believe you didn't know to some extent how dangerous assisting us would be." He continued walking over to his computer; I could hear the familiar sound of fingers hitting a keyboard start up. "Don't worry my friend, they are not interested in you. Besides, I'm quite enjoying the challenge of having someone like the Peregrine tracking me down." My body tensed instinctively and I heard Perry's sharp intake of breath.

"The-the Peregrine?" Hozumi could hardly get his words out in his terror. "But if they are tracking you, then that means…" Bianchi continued typing for a moment longer before stopping to face the petrified man.

"Yes, that means the infamous 47 is likely going to kill me." He sounded far to blasé for my liking, and my senses were on red alert at the mention of my name.

"He's a ghost Antonio, a legend. You'll never survive."

"Well, may I suggest you take your leave Hozumi my amico. Your duty is done, no need to risk your life senselessly." There was a sneer to Bianchi's voice as he dismissed the Japanese man. Emitting a strange whimpering noise he clumsily exited the room. I was just reassessing my position now that my target was alone when Peregrine uttered a strangled, "Uh oh."

"Now that we are alone, how about you stand up and face me like a man?" Bianchi had raised his voice, talking to the whole room, and I suspected with a chilling clarity, to me.

"It was a trap 47. He gave me control on purpose, I'm sorry." Perry's realisation of her oversight confirmed what I had suspected. Slowly I straightened up to my full height and locked eyes with my target over the array of electronic equipment between us. There was the briefest flicker of fear in the Italian's eyes, before an acceptance overcame his expression.

"You can only run for so long before death finally catches up with you." Bianchi's voice was resigned, but there was a fierce glint of determination in his eyes. "And if the rumours are true, you are indeed death personified 47." I remained still, suspicious of the situation I found myself in.

He turned away from me and walked towards the large, blacked out windows on the far side of the room. It was a brave move, to turn your back on an assassin; but I got the feeling these were the actions of a man who knew he was going to die. He began to rip the black out material off the window in front of him.

"You were a worthy adversary Peregrine, I must admit." I was aware of my handler listening intently as our target addressed her now. "I believe given a bit more time and training you would have found me virtually undetected. Alas, I was given my marching orders and I am tired of running." He was staring out over the quiet street outside, the distant lights of Tokyo's heart twinkling in the darkness. "It really is a beautiful place this. A hacker's paradise." He sighed wistfully and turned to face me again. He let out an abrupt laugh, jarring with the seriousness of his situation.

"Don't look so shocked 47. You should know by now Cicada are not to be underestimated." I raised an eyebrow at my quarry; I was unaccustomed to them interacting with me in the knowledge of who I was.

"What's their plan here? They know the identities of both myself and my handler, why lure us here and sacrifice yourself?" There was something off here that I couldn't put my finger on it, I was eager to finish the job now that my target was practically handing himself to me, but I wanted some clarity. Bianchi tutted and wagged a finger at me playfully.

"Now why would I tell you that 47. I've done my duty, now do yours." He growled the last part, holding his hands out in a gesture of acceptance. I didn't wait to be asked twice; in one fluid movement I drew my pistol and shot him decisively in the head. I saw the light got out in his eyes before he collapsed to the floor in front of me.

There was a moment of silence as I walked around the computers to stand over my target. "I don't like how this situation played out Peregrine." I glanced up at the array of screen arranged above a large desk. Most of them were blank, but the center one showed a complete progress bar. I leant in and saw it was the data from the bank Bianchi had received from Hozumi.

"I agree 47, hopefully the computer will give us some answers. I'm sorry I didn't see the trap, that was my fault." Her voice was small and distant; I shrugged it off wanting to get out of here as soon as possible.

"We'll discuss it later, can you access his terminal or do you need me to do it?" I heard her resume typing reluctantly.

"No, no, I can do it." I remained stood in front of the computer, wanting to make sure there were no more surprises before leaving. After a few minutes her typing stopped. I waited for her confirmation of new intel, but the silence stretched on. My gut began to grow uneasy, something wasn't right here.

"Peregrine, speak to me. Have you got it?" Still nothing, I pressed my finger to my earpiece, unsure whether she had been disconnected. But I could here her breathing distinctly in the background.

"Perry?" My voice rose slightly in frustration. What was she doing?

So quietly I wasn't sure if I had heard it correctly, I heard her whisper a distraught, "No." Then the line went dead.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/U: A shorter chapter here, gearing up for a whooper in Chapter 6. Any reviews and advice welcome, enjoy! :)**

Chapter 5

"She's gone 47."

Diana's words took a second to sink in. I was sat in a Business Class lounge in Dubai Airport, on my way back from Tokyo the day after our unorthodox hit. My laptop was balanced on a low coffee table in front of me, my wireless headphones allowing me to sit back in the chair I was in. I stared at the laptop accusingly as if Diana was sat opposite me, not thousands of miles away in Denmark.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Diana's voice was fast as she replied, as if trying to convey the urgency of her words through speed.

"I mean just that 47, she has disappeared from our radar. We no longer know where she is right now." The agency always kept tabs on their operatives, for Peregrine to avoid their eyes meant she was purposefully hiding from the ICA. "She hasn't submitted her report for your last contract, and the data she recovered from Bianchi's computer has also gone missing with her. Did you see what she found 47?" I cursed myself for my inability to stop her before she done something stupid. Stealing intel from the ICA and running from them was most definitely stupid.

"No, I didn't." I heard her sigh.

"She wiped the computer, so when our clean up team tried to find the data hidden on it, all they found was an empty drive. Did you see her acting suspiciously at all when you followed her in New York?" I took a deep breath in, closing my eyes for a second as I collected my thoughts. I didn't want to out her, but her actions up to this point hadn't stopped me from suspecting she was going against the agency. However, it was very unlike the girl I had known for two years now to act irrationally for no reason and her feeling towards Cicada were very clear. She hadn't sabotaged any contracts so far, if she was really working for them surely she would have stopped the agency from picking their members off. I had to tell Diana what I had found in New York, in the end they would find out anyway and this way it might speed up the process of finding out what was going on with Peregrine.

"Yes, she met with a former informant of mine and received some intel on the agencies past projects." There was a beat of silence on the other end as I sensed Diana digesting the new information I had given her.

"What kind of intel?" I formed my words carefully, I didn't want to escalate Perry's already precarious situation with the agency.

"She wanted information on Victoria." Diana breathed in sharply.

"What? Why?" All her usual cool formality had disappeared with the mention of her charge's name.

"I did ask her but she didn't want to tell me. The ICA isn't involved in anything I should know about is it Diana?" My calm, even tone delivered the question in a mundane enough manner, but I knew my former handler read the underlying threat in it.

"Not to my knowledge 47, and believe me if it was I would be the first to know about it." I didn't doubt it; she had nearly destroyed the agency the last time they had been experimenting with human cloning. Still, Perry's unusual rogue behaviour made me think there was more to this than met the eye.

"I am worried about her too. She is treading on thin ice at the moment, and I think she knows it. Why else would she disappear?" Her voice was softer, I knew she had a soft spot for her trainee. "Whilst she is gone I will take over as your handler again, I will contact you when I have any more information on her. In the mean time if you see anything or she tries to get in touch let me know."

I adjusted my position in the chair. "Why would she try to find me?" Diana let out a strained chuckle.

"You two are a good team, mainly because she would walk off a tall building for you. My guess is she is feeling pretty torn up about leaving you in the lurch." I shifted uncomfortably at Diana's words, as much I would like to deny what she had said I knew Perry was unfortunately close to me. I couldn't explain why she liked me so much, I had never done anything to encourage it but she had always kept her feelings to herself and maintained a professional enough relationship with me. However, Diana was right if she were going to reach out to anyone, it would be me.

"Alright. Diana?" The notion suddenly pooped into my head as I thought about her words. "If you find her try and keep the board from acting irrationally. It would be nice to know why she did this." I listened as she processed my request.

"I will do my best 47, but I can't promise anything." It was all I could do for her now, unless she decided to come to her senses and turn herself in.

…..

I pushed my legs to go faster as I ran up the hill. The cold air rushed into my lungs, as I took deep breathes; it felt better doing something not sat around waiting for news all the time. The sparse trees on either side of the path flew past as I neared the top of the slope. Sending one last burst of energy to my legs I reached the summit and slowed to a stand still, waiting for my heart rate to steady. It did so in moments; it was one of my advantages being able to run faster and recover quicker than most people. The early dawn mist concealed the forest around me, the treetops just poking through here and there. I checked my phone for any messages from Diana; still nothing.

It had been a week and there was still no sign of Peregrine. The ICA had its best analysts tracking her but she was proving a tougher case to crack than they were used to. I had to admit, I was a little bit proud of her, it was kind of impressive a handler who had only been at the agency for two years was managing to evade them so efficiently. If nothing else it meant my judgment of her had been right when I chose her to replace Diana. I just wished she didn't always have to go off on a crusade all the time.

A bird of prey cried in the distance, I suddenly thought of my conversation with her about her dream of being a wildlife photographer. There were times I was unsure why I had allowed this girl to get so close to me, usually if someone was suspicious of my cover on a contract I would distance myself from them or dispose of them. But there had been something about her that kept drawing me back to her. Letting her get involved when Diana couldn't help me with recovering the information I needed, there were hundreds of competent hackers working for the agency but I had asked a complete stranger. The bird wheeled above me as I thought about Peregrine, my brain trying to process the unfamiliar emotions the memories had brought up.

My phone buzzed in my hand, as I was lost in thought. I looked down at it, my brow creasing.

 _We may have found her. I will contact you shortly._

 _D_

I put the phone away and began to run back the way I had come. I wasn't sure what the agency would do with her; my concern at her well-being was starting to disturb me.

It took me twenty minutes to run the ten miles back to my base. I was staying in a remote hotel in the Alps, there were very few guests and the staff weren't intrusive. It suited me well. I made my way up to my room, ignoring the curious looks I was getting from the one or two patrons in reception. It was six in the morning and minus eleven outside, apparently that wasn't acceptable running weather for most people.

I had just set up my laptop when Diana began to call. I answered, preferring to stand for whatever news she had for me.

"Good morning 47, our analysts have finally found a lead for Peregrine." I stripped out of my running gear and shrugged on a white shirt as I listened to her.

"Where is she Diana?"

"They've narrowed it down to somewhere in the south of Italy." I frowned as I slowly buttoned up my shirt. What was she doing there? I ran through the pieces of the puzzle we had so far, no matter how I tried to put them together it didn't make sense.

"Bianchi was from Italy." My voice was distant, the thought leaving my mouth before I had fully processed it. I heard Diana pause at my interruption.

"That's true. Do you think the information she took from his database led her there?" I folded my arms, the puzzle starting to click together slowly.

"Quite possibly, I don't see any other reason for her being there. She let slip that Cicada gave her some intel initially, it was why she started digging around in the first place." Diana was silent for a moment as she thought it through.

"I don't think she is with them 47. But I believe they might be manipulating her without her knowledge. She would be a valuable asset to them, maybe they are feeding her a false trail so she'll do their dirty work for them." It made the most sense out of anything I had seen so far.

"That sounds likely." The idea Perry was being used was much more plausible than her suddenly deciding to join a group that had killed her friend and threatened another. I had to talk to her before they got whatever they wanted.

"I will send you the coordinates when I have them. 47, I want you to go and reason with her, try and make her see she is being led astray. The board is holding off until we have tried the subtle approach first. I imagine I don't have to tell you what the result will be if you fail." I closed my eyes slowly; diplomacy wasn't my forte. When it came to being tactical with human emotions, I very much fell short.

"Understood."

"Good luck 47, I hope you succeed…for Perry's sake."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/U: Sorry for the delay guys but I have a few chapters to make it worth the wait. Thanks for my reviews so far, and welcome back to some readers from the previous story. Thanks for sticking with me. As always enjoy! :)**

Chapter 6

The town of Catanzaro was nestled on the edge of the Ionian sea, on the south coast of Italy. I was sat at a café on the waterfront watching the steady stream of tourists and fishermen drifting by. After our joint hunch that Perry was following a lead from Bianchi's intel, the analysts had done a detailed search of his home town. It wasn't long before they had detected unusual online activity in the area. They still hadn't seen her on any CCTV but it was as good a place as any to start looking for her.

"We've just had another hit from a computer in a residential area near the center of town 47. She is likely hiding in an apartment rather than a hotel." Diana's familiar tone felt slightly jarring after a year hearing Perry's distinct voice in my ear. She had insisted on monitoring me, I got the feeling it was because the agency wanted her to make a quick decision if things didn't go well with Peregrine. I got up and made my way up the hill towards the town center. The afternoon sun beat down on the cobbled streets, tourists were desperately trying to find shade under shop awnings and umbrellas. The heat bothered me as little as the cold; I had to be able to work in whatever climate I found myself in.

"The apartment we traced the signal to is just up ahead. Left off the square." Just as she gave me the directions I came upon the town square. It was moderately busy; a few cafes around the edge housed the suffering tourists. Locals criss-crossed in front of me, going about their working day. I saw the apartment block Diana was talking about to my left, it was a typical Italian building. Terracotta in colour and slightly weathered, washing hanging from a number of balconies. Walking slowly around the edge of the square I observed the building, careful to stay out of view of its windows.

I was unsure how exactly to proceed with this, usually I found my target undetected and killed them as efficiently as possible. I wasn't planning on killing Peregrine and she was definitely going to notice me approaching her. However, I was pretty certain that just walking up to her would cause her to run, and my one chance to save her would be over before it had started. I was just going through my plan of action when two figures darting through the shadows of a side street caught my eye.

Two men in dark suits disappeared into a building. Something about the way they were moving set my senses on edge. I glanced at where they had gone, a tall clock tower overlooked the square, there was a viewing gallery at the top I could just make out a few people looking down at the square from above. The two men hadn't fitted in to their surroundings, their dark suits stood out amongst the shorts of the tourists and light clothes of the locals. With another look at the tower I came to a conclusion I didn't like.

"There's no one else from the agency here is there Diana?" My sudden question obviously took her by surprise, as she didn't answer immediately.

"No. The board agreed to only send you. We didn't want to scare her off." I narrowed my eyes as I stared up at the perfect sniper location. I stood still for a moment, assessing the situation. The tourists I had seen at the top of the tower moments before suddenly came barreling out of the door the men had disappeared into. They chatted noisily amongst themselves, and my eyes followed them as they disappeared up the side street. I was just about to follow the suspicious men into the tower, when one of them emerged glancing around furtively. My hackles began to rise as he walked along the edge of the square, keeping out of sight of the same apartment I had been avoiding. The other man didn't follow him, I craned my neck trying to see the viewing platform above, but from this angle it was impossible to see who was up there. The other man had reached the opposite side of the square; I watched as he looked up at the tower, he kept shooting glances at the door to the apartment where Peregrine was supposedly hiding. I instantly knew what was happening, and clenched my fists in anger.

"Diana." I growled in a low voice, "Either you're lying to me, or the board is lying to you. There are agents here." I heard her gasp, that at least answered whether she was in on this or not.

"They said they'd give me a chance first. Do you see her?" I tore my eyes away from the agent stood across from me and looked at the quiet apartment.

"No. But I think there's a sniper on that tower behind me." As I was talking I began to slowly walk towards the apartment building, careful to not draw the agent's attention to me. Slowly I made my way to the door and scanned the aged intercom system to the side of it. One name caught my eye, and my mouth twitched despite the tense atmosphere. _Rieper._

I chose another name at random, an elderly lady answered tentatively.

"Ciao?" I kept my voice as calm and friendly as I could given the circumstances.

"Ciao madame, ho una consegna per te." _Hello madam, I have a delivery for you._ There was a brief pause before she answered in a confused tone.

"Non mi aspettavo uno ma ti prego." _I wasn't expecting one but please come up._ The door opened with a loud buzz. As I turned to close it behind me I saw the agent staring at me, he slowly began to advance on the building as I shut him off from view.

If the clue on the intercom was correct then Perry was on the top floor. I still wasn't sure where the other agent had got to, but my best bet was that he was on the viewing platform above the square. With an uncomfortable feeling I realised that's where I would have been if this was a normal contract. I needed to get her out of here, but I didn't want to spook her and have her running out into the open square. I slowly began to ascend the stairs to Perry's apartment.

"47, I've looked at the ICA active contracts and there are two agents assigned to a job in Italy, but it's marked as classified." The anger started to grow inside me. "I think you're right, they've gone against my wishes and have requested Peregrine be eliminated." I kept on walking. I could see the top apartment door.

"I'm not sure what to do 47. We can't go against the board's orders." I was looking at the door, weighing up my options.

"I can't just let them do this. She needs a chance to explain."

"They didn't give me one 47 when I took Victoria." I reached into my pocket and produced my lock pick. My tone was menacing as I answered her.

"But I did." Deftly I opened her apartment door and walked in, scanning my surroundings. It looked empty. The apartment wasn't very big, I was suddenly reminded of the cupboard Perry had called a flat when she lived in London. There was small living and kitchen area, a bathroom off to one side and a bedroom off to the other. A large desk dominated the living area with a computer setup on it, naturally. I did a quick sweep of the tiny area, confirming there was no one here. Good. I may not know where she was, but at least she wasn't in immediate danger.

The screens were on and I found myself being drawn to the scrolling text displayed on them. I didn't fully understand all of the coding flashing past, but I could pick out familiar groupings of numbers. Coordinates. It didn't take a genius to work out what Perry was doing; she had created a decoy, the signal that led me here was a distraction. I looked around the room; there were no other signs of someone living here, clever girl. A dull red light above the monitor caught my eye, there was a web cam staring back at me.

"She's not here, but I'm pretty sure she knows I am now." I spoke softly to Diana.

"Damn it, do you think she's in the area?" Deep down I hoped she wasn't, having Perry even in the vicinity of two agents out for her made me uneasy. But the fact we were in a town linked to Bianchi was too much of a coincidence. I was about to reply to Diana when I heard the distinct creak of a floorboard outside the apartment. My muscles responded automatically, propelling me swiftly and silently to the doorway I had entered through. I pressed my back against the wall and listened to the sounds outside. I could here the faintest sound of someone breathing, likely doing the same thing I was on the other side of the door.

The door handle began to turn and I readied myself. It only took me a split second to see it was the agent I had left in the square and not Perry entering the apartment. I stepped forward and attempted to wrap my forearm around the man's neck in order to subdue him, but he was ready for me and grabbed my arm before I could get a grip on him. The confidence of his attack caught me momentarily off guard; it was like he knew I was going to be there. I quickly pushed my surprise to the back of my mind and aimed a hard punch to the agent's temple. He let go of my arm and staggered back, his eyes locking on to me, a deadly glint in them.

Even though the identities of all the agents were strictly classified, I got the feeling this man knew who I was. He didn't say a word as he reached into his suit jacket, I knew he was going for a weapon so swiftly closed the distance between us and delivered another punch to his stomach. He doubled over but still managed to draw his silenced pistol, I was quicker than him though. I kicked his hand sending the pistol skittering across the wooden floor; he straightened up, his fist flying towards my face. I moved just in time and twisted his arm to an unnatural angle, he grunted in pain as he struggled to free himself.

"Did the agency send you?" I growled at the man, he craned his neck to face me, his mouth set in a grimace. I wasn't expecting an answer but his silence told me everything I wanted to know. The ICA had sent these men to kill Peregrine. They had gone behind Diana's back and lied to her. I jerked the agent's arm upwards and felt it give as a loud crack came from it. The man let out a shriek, and I shoved him into the floor. He turned over to lie on his back and looked up at me, clutching his broken arm. He didn't look defeated, just angry and I knew this fight wasn't going to be over until one of us was dead.

I had been struggling to figure out why the agency would send two agents for Peregrine. She wasn't trained to kill; yes she had killed a person but that had been self defense and one ICA trained assassin should have been enough for her. It was only as I stared down at the agent in front of me that it suddenly became clear. The second one was for me. The agency would know I was coming here to talk to Perry, Diana had told them as much. They also knew I had a nasty habit of defending my handlers even when they had gone against the ICA. They had sent one to deal with Perry, and one to make sure I didn't get in the way of the hit. I glared down at the man, and for the first time I saw a flicker of fear in his eyes. If only one of us was getting out of this alive, I knew who it was going to be.

The injured agent came to the same conclusion and quickly launched himself across the room towards his gun. He was faster than I had originally thought and managed to reach it before I could draw mine. I ducked into the bathroom just as the agent fired a shot at where I had been moments before. The bullet made a dull thud as it lodged itself in the wall, I heard the man scrabbling around as he got up. I drew my silenced pistol and listened as the agent moved around the living area. He wasn't going to follow me into the bathroom that was what hired security thugs did, not trained assassins.

I breathed out and focused my senses on the assassin in the next room. He was standing on the far side of the room facing the doorway of the bathroom. Without hesitating I swung round the doorframe, seeing the agent was aiming his gun at my head I shot him in both knees. They gave way and he collapsed down on them, his gun no longer aiming at me. I walked over and kicked his gun away again. Pressing the barrel of my pistol to his temple he looked at me out of the corner of his eye, that defiant fearlessness in the face of death something I only saw in the eyes of people trained to kill. Without prolonging it any further I shot him, watching his body crumple to the floor.

"Well done 47, although I don't think the agency is going to happy about that kill." Diana sounded like she had been holding her breath for a long time. I went over to the window overlooking the square outside.

"He was sent to kill me Diana. I saw it in his eyes."

"That's impossible 47, the agency would have sent more than one if they wanted you dead." I was staring at the crowds below as Diana tried to defend the ICA even after what she had just witnessed. "There's still one agent out there. We can only hope Peregrine is far away from here."

I holstered my pistol, preparing to go and deal with that loose end shortly. Suddenly a familiar figure appeared on the edge of the square opposite the apartment. Perry was standing in the shadows of the buildings but I could see her clearly, her signature checked shirt and jeans making her stand out to me. She was looking up at the window, staring directly at me her mouth set in a firm line. There was a momentary relief of seeing her safe, and then the bone-chilling realisation that there was an agency assassin potentially pointing a sniper rifle at her slammed into me.

"Diana, she's here. I can see her."

"47, the other agent-"

I was already halfway out the door as her panicked voice came through my earpiece. "I know." I took the stairs down two at a time and exited the apartment building nearly at a sprint. I didn't look to see if Perry had seen me I just focused all attention on getting up that clock tower as fast as I could. The door I had seen the men disappear into was mercifully unlocked as I barreled through it. As I flew up the twisting staircase inside I just hoped Perry had the common sense to stay still and out of the tower's line of sight.

"I'm just trying to access the town's CCTV to see where she is 47." I didn't acknowledge Diana, if my predictions were correct I was halfway up the tower. My legs were only just starting to burn as I reached the room containing the mechanics of the clock. The methodical ticking of the giant cogs made it hard for me to hear if there was anyone above on the viewing platform. There was a small opening looking down on the square covered in a metal mesh. I glanced out of it, scanning the shadows for Perry. She wasn't stood where I had seen her in the apartment, cursing I searched for her.

"Anything Diana?" My voice was strained.

"I'm in. I can't see her yet 47, I'll keep you updated." Abandoning my attempt to locate Perry I continued my progress up to the viewing platform. I slowed as I saw the top of the staircase. The platform was empty of tourists thankfully; crouched on the side facing the square was a man in suit, a sniper rifle resting on his shoulder. I narrowed my eyes as I quietly scaled the last steps, and sank into a low crouch myself. As I advanced on the agent two things happened at once. I heard someone approaching me from behind; the sound of quick footsteps too purposeful for a sight seeing tourists, and Diana spoke in a low, urgent voice.

"47, I was right. There was more than two agents assigned to this contract." My brain processed these two facts simultaneously as I swung round to face my new attacker. The new agent was almost upon me with his pistol drawn. I had no time to think, I launched myself at him grabbing him round the waist as we both fell back down the staircase in a jumble of limbs. He fired a shot into the air as we clattered down the stairs back into the clock room. As soon as we had stopped I untangled myself and leapt to my feet.

This agent was quicker than the last, just as I straightened up the man had already aimed his gun at me. For a brief moment we locked eyes, the same lethal glint was in this agent's eyes as his predecessor. I knew I wasn't going to be fast enough to draw my own weapon; I had to minimize the damage. I sprinted at the man and brought my fist squarely up under his chin. As his head snapped back from the impact he fired his pistol, the bullet hit me in the thigh and I gritted my teeth at the expected pain. The agent flew backwards from the force of my hit, landing on his back. I ignored the burning fire spreading through my leg and advanced on him.

"47." Diana's tone alerted me to a problem. "It's Perry, she's still in the square. She's making her way towards the apartment." My stomach dropped; if Diana could see her, then I was sure the agent above would. I bore down on the dazed agent in front of me, my desperate anger at the situation bubbling to the surface. There was a moment of shock on his face as I gripped his neck with both hands, kicking the gun from his grasp with my uninjured leg. I pressed all of my weight down onto his windpipe and watched as he struggled helplessly against my fury. After a while his strangled cries ceased and I watched his face relax and his lips turn blue.

In the proceeding silence I noticed I was breathing heavily, not from fatigue but from anger. Turning away from my new victim I bolted up the staircase once more, knowing Perry could be in imminent danger. The sniper was still crouched unfazed by the scuffle that had taken place below him. I could feel the blood from my leg wound starting to soak into my trousers. Brushing off the pain I strode purposefully towards the agent and wrapped my arm around his neck, constricting his airways. He dropped the rifle on the platform and tried to pull my arm away, but I wasn't going to let him go anytime soon.

Just as I started to feel his muscles relax I heard another set of footsteps approaching me from behind. Before I could finish subduing the sniper I felt something heavy and metallic strike the back of my head. Gritting my teeth at the sudden shock of the blow, I whirled around dropping the now coughing agent. I was faced with another man in a dark suit; so the agency had sent four agents to deal with Perry and I. The other agent was holding a fire extinguisher in one hand; this must have been the weapon he had just used against me. The man I had been attempting to stop was now scrambling to his feet as the agent with the extinguisher raised it above his head to strike me again. He brought it down and I rolled out of the way, it made a loud clang as it struck the wooden floor of the viewing platform.

I stood up and squared off against the agent, my leg protesting loudly at my continuing movement. This one wasn't hanging around, he leapt towards me wielding the fire extinguisher. I held up my arms to stop him hitting my face and pushed him back. As soon as he had steadied himself he launched at me again, relentless in his attack. I was aware of the other agent behind me crawling back to his position and retrieving his rifle. The agent with the fire extinguisher barreled into me, slamming my back against the stonewall surrounding the high platform. He forced my head back so I could see the drop below me, and the sniper adjusting his sight as he pointed his gun down into the square.

I gave a low growl and grabbed the fire extinguisher the agent was trying to knock me out with again. Twisting if harshly I tore it from the man's grasp and drove it with all my strength into his nose. There was sickening crack and the agent staggered back clutching his face. I righted myself watching as blood poured between the agent's fingers, now I had the upper hand. Striding forward I hit the agent again and again with the fire extinguisher, driving him back towards the staircase. He attempted to block me, but with his bloodied nose he was struggling to breathe. My anger was now at bursting point; the agency had betrayed me again and I was going to them repay them but leaving none of these agents alive. I unleashed an almighty swing at the agent knocking him to the floor. He held his hands up as I raised the fire extinguisher above my head, but it was little defense as I brought it down with all my strength.

I heard the bones in his hands break as it connected. He dropped them to his sides with a whimper and I rammed the extinguisher down again. His skull was wedged between the hard wooden platform and the heavy metal fire extinguisher. It only took a few well placed hits to break it, he twitched for a moment before finally becoming still. I dropped the extinguisher and rounded on the final agent still focusing on his target.

Letting out a low angry growl I advanced on him. Drawing my pistol I aimed it carefully at the back of his and breathed in, steadying my hand. I pulled the trigger, eager to end this. Seconds before the bullet hit, he too pulled the trigger of the sniper rifle. I saw the weapon fire as he jerked back from the deadly impact of my bullet.

"47…" Diana's shaky voice sent me running to the wall, shoving the now dead agent out of my way. I stared down into the square, scanning for Perry's familiar figure. I couldn't see her, but he had fired. A strange sense of dread started to build inside me, had I been too late?

"47…the far corner. Near the apartment." My eyes shot to where Diana was pointing me and I saw her. She was lying face down in a shadowy side alley; no one had noticed her yet. She was alone…and still.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I was running back down the tower, my leg was still throbbing uncomfortably but my need to get to my fallen handler was greater than tending to my wound. I sprinted out of the tower and towards the alley where I had seen her lying face down on the cobbles. Ignoring the shocked glances from the locals and tourists, I skidded round the corner of the building and saw her body in front of me. She was positioned in such a way that she was hidden from the square but clearly visible from the clock tower. It had been the perfect hit.

Slowing I approached her, unsure what to do. My stomach felt like there was a lump of lead in it; it was a strange sensation that I couldn't place. I knelt down by her as a pool of blood started to spread from under her. It was then I noticed the smallest movement as her back rose and fell. She was alive! As gently as I could I turned her over to assess the damage. She had a nasty red stain soaking through her clothes near her abdomen. I lifted her shirt to see where the wound was; the bullet had hit her in the side inches from her stomach.

"She's alive Diana. But I'm not sure for how much longer." The wound was ugly and livid, there was only a small amount of blood at the moment. With a sinking feeling I knew this was because the bullet was still lodged inside her, stemming the blood loss. I had been in this situation before, a woman I had met undercover falling victim to my chaotic life. I had given her a mercy kill, it was better than prolonging the pain. The lead weight increased as I gripped my pistol, drawing it slowly. I should give the same mercy to Peregrine, but the thought of shooting her made me feel suddenly sick.

"47, there's an unattended vehicle two minutes from you." I heard Diana pause, "Are you going to kill her?" My grip tightened on my pistol, her face was pale, her eyes closed. There were deep shadows underneath her eyes and her lips were starting to turn a light shade of blue. I gritted my teeth, there were feelings whirling around inside of me that I couldn't place, I holstered my weapon and growled at Diana in a frustrated voice.

"No. Which direction is the vehicle?"

"South east of your location. Good luck 47." Her voice was distant and strained. I knew what that meant. I was now on my own. The line went dead in my ear as I shifted my arms carefully underneath Perry's head and legs. My leg screamed in protest as I straightened up, cradling Perry against my chest. I kept my eyes on her wound, the blood started to escape from it at a faster pace. I didn't have long.

Quickly getting my bearings I moved in the direction Diana had told me, I was very conscious of not jostling Perry too much. I saw her eyelids flutter as I began to walk, her mouth suddenly opening as she gasped for air. She was beginning to wake. I was leaving the square behind and moving further into Catanzaro, as I exited the small alley onto a busier cobbled street I saw the car Diana had been referring to. It was sleek red Ferrari, not the kind of car I would use as a getaway vehicle, Diana had obviously known I would choose to save Perry and would need a fast car to get us out of here.

I was aware of Peregrine starting to stir in my arms as I approached the expensive car. Careful not to jolt her I shifted her so one of my arms was free. With no time to spare I elbowed the passenger side window, it smashed easily, the car alarm began to blare as I opened the door and slid Perry into the leather seat. Leaning over her, ignoring the shouts of protest around me I unlocked the driver's side and sprinted round. It took me only a few moments to hot wire the car, it roared into life and after checking Perry was strapped safely upright I put it in gear and screeched up the cobbled street.

Pedestrians leapt out of the way as I pushed the accelerator to the floor, the car responding instantly to my request for more speed. The sound of police sirens cut through the feral growling of the Ferrari, I wasn't fazed this car would be hard to out run. Silently I thanked Diana for her parting gift. We were free of the claustrophobic streets of Catanzaro within minutes of me jacking the car. The open Italian countryside sped passed on either side. I looked over at Perry, her hair blowing in the wind coming through the broken window. Her breathing was becoming more labored as the pain of the wound was becoming evident to her. She would be wide-awake in moments I had to act fast.

I screamed along the winding road, there was little traffic and I scanned the sparse hills for a place to stop. Eventually I saw a derelict barn on the horizon. It wasn't brilliant but it would have to do. The police were nowhere in my rear view mirror I was confident we would be safe in the barn. Seeing a small dirt track off the road leading towards my chosen location, I pulled on the handbrake making the back end of the car skid round until I was facing the track. The tires screeched as I tore up the track, a plume of dust shooting out behind me. Perry moaned softly, her eyes opening. She searched around her in bewilderment, unsure of her surroundings.

The barn grew in size and I gritted my teeth as I sensed Perry's distress building next to me. The large doors had rotted away leaving a wide opening, I kept accelerating all the way to the decaying building before slamming the brakes on. The car came to a juddering stop inside the drafty barn. Looking at Perry's frantic expression and decreasing colour I judged I had roughly five minutes before she lost too much blood for me to help. I quickly unfastened her belt and pushed her towards the door so I could see her wound clearly.

"Stay still Morgan." She locked eyes with me as I used her real name. I hoped it would make her realise the seriousness of the situation. Making a quick list of what I needed I got out of the car and drew my pistol. There was a small amount of dry hay in the barn, I took a handful and placed it away from the rest of the hay. Finding a rubber inner tube from a discarded bicycle in the corner I syphoned a small amount of petrol from the Ferrari onto the hay. Aiming my gun at the mound of petrol soaked hay I fired. The fire burst into existence, and I quickly threw some of the dry wood from the walls of the barn onto it to feed it.

I withdrew a small knife from my jacket and placed the blade in the flames of the fire I had just created. I turned my attention to Perry in the car; climbing back in beside her I ripped her shirt open so I could inspect the wound. Her eyes widened as she saw the hole in her side for the first time.

"Oh-oh my god 47. What-"

"Stay still." My voice held no argument and her wide brown eyes stared at me as I leant in to look at the damage. There was no exit wound so the bullet was definitely lodged inside, as I had feared. I was unsure where the bullet was and what it was currently stopping so taking it out without any surgical equipment was going to be a big risk. I made up my mind to leave it in; to remove it could kill her instantly and in such a sensitive place I didn't want to damage something I shouldn't. I was no doctor after all.

I undid my tie and balled it up. Perry's lips were losing colour by the second, the wound pumping out blood as if maliciously trying to rid her of it. I held the tie to her mouth; she looked at me in pained confusion.

"You're going to want something to bite down on." A flicker of fear crossed her face as she tentatively let me put it in her mouth. I tore a strip off my shirt and wiped away the excess blood around the wound so I could clearly see the edges. Once I was sure how to seal it I returned to the fire I had made and retrieved the now red-hot knife. As I reentered the car I saw Peregrine's eyes widen as she took in the horrific weapon in my hand.

"I'm sorry Perry, but this is going to hurt." I pinned her against the door of the car with my body and pinched together the gaping wound with one hand. She began to sob into the tie as I carefully lower the burning knife blade towards her skin. She closed her eyes and turned her face away, tears streaming down it. I didn't want to hurt her, but it was the only way to save her life.

The blade let out an aggressive hiss as I pressed it onto her skin. The smell of burning flesh filled the car and Perry screamed into the gag I had placed in her mouth. It was better than her biting her tongue off. I held it in place for a few seconds before lifting the knife away to reveal a cleanly cauterized wound. The skin around the ugly join was blistering and turning a vivid shade of red. Perry's screams stopped abruptly and glancing up I saw she had fainted. Good, at least she would sleep through the worst of the pain now. I removed the tie from her mouth and carefully readjusted her so her head was against the headrest.

Outside I found a water trough with a little water left in it from the rain. I used the torn off strip from my shirt and soaked it in the small puddle. Returning to the Ferrari I gently tied the wet piece of fabric to Perry's wound; that would soothe the burning a little. She was still very pale, but I was sure she hadn't lost enough blood for it to be fatal. The bullet would keep any internal bleeding at bay; she would need to visit a hospital at some point though.

Satisfied my handler wasn't on the verge of death anymore I turned my attention to my own wound. Ripping my trousers I examined where the bullet had entered my thigh. This was a lot less dangerous, so I decided to take the foreign object out of me. I had seen an old pair of pliers by the bike when I had been over there. Locating the rusty tool I placed it the fire along with the knife again. I was much happier operating on myself, I knew where my pain limit was and had a lot of experience over the years patching myself up.

Once the pliers were red hot I cooled them down in the water trough outside and sat with my legs outside of the expensive sports car. Preparing myself I carefully inserted the pliers into the small wound, opening them slightly to widen the hole. The pain shot through my leg, the chaos of the last hour had lessened the affect of the damage but now the adrenaline was leaving my system the pain was taking over. Gritting my teeth I pushed the pliers in further until I felt a solid object stopping their progress. Taking deep breaths I gripped the end of the bullet with the pliers and gradually began to pull it out. The progress was slow and excruciating, I was thankful I had decided not to subject Perry to this.

The bullet came out with a rush of blood and I quickly deposited it on the floor. Tearing off another piece of my shirt I wiped away the blood and retrieved the knife to seal my wound. I knew what to expect so the deed was done quickly and efficiently, the burning smell filling my nostrils. Wrapping the cauterized wound in a wet strip like Perry's I leant back in the leather seat and closed my eyes. We were safe for now, and I would need a moment to gather my strength for the next leg of the journey.

The agency had betrayed me, and Diana. In some weird twist of events I had ended up siding with my rebellious new handler and now found myself running from the ICA yet again. I really needed to stop doing this. They would be looking for us, I was certain. We would need to find a place that even they didn't know about. Luckily Peregrine had decided to come to the south Italy and I knew just the place to go.


	8. Chapter 8

Peregrine

Chapter 8

I felt like I was down a well. Darkness pressed in on me from all sides and the feeling of being dragged further down was overwhelming. I flailed my limbs in a desperate attempt to rise out of the crushing depths. They felt heavy and unresponsive; the urge to sleep started to over take my need to see light, to breath air. It would be so easy just to let go. But then his face swam into view, his concerned blue eyes sending a bolt of electricity through my veins. My arms suddenly felt like my own and I was shooting up out of the darkness towards something very bright. As I neared the surface an agonising, twisting pain materialised in my side, and I remembered.

I jumped as I regained consciousness; I was lying in a large bed, bright sunlight was streaming through a huge floor to ceiling window in front of me. I rubbed my eyes, slowly adjusting to the glaring light after all that darkness. I was in a large bedroom, there were marble tiles of the floor and the walls were a neutral cream colour. It wasn't a hospital, but I had no clue where I was.

Gingerly I lifted the sheets I was under and noticed I was wearing a white shirt that was way too large for me. I recognised it instantly, and my body relaxed somewhat knowing he was nearby at least. My eyes were drawn to a neatly tied bandage around my midriff, it bulged slightly at the point where the pain was the worst. I took in a sharp breath at the sudden memory of the white-hot knife being pressed into my flesh. I gently brushed my fingers over the fabric, the wound responding with a twinge of pain.

I had been shot…I had been fucking shot. The thought bounced around my head like a ping-pong ball, it didn't feel real. I didn't have a clue how long I had been asleep, so it could have been a month for all I knew, the memories of what had happened were fuzzy and incoherent. I remembered seeing 47 in my decoy apartment in Catanzaro, I remembered watching him from the other side of the square as he rushed into the clock tower, I remembered trying to stay out of sight as I went back to the apartment to retrieve my equipment and I remembered only getting halfway before being thrown into a side alley by a piercing, forceful pain in my side. I had a vague memory of dashing through the streets in a sports car and 47 burning me with that knife, then nothing.

I would have sworn it was a dream, save for the incriminating bandage showing the truth of it all. I heaved myself up into a sitting position, my limbs felt stiff and heavy. I tried to figure out where I had been taken, a thin white curtain obscured the view outside. It felt warm, and judging by my injuries I guessed I was still in Italy. He wouldn't have tried to fly with me like this. I drew back the bed sheets and noticed with embarrassment that I wasn't wearing any jeans. Even in my current state my body still had enough blood in it to colour my cheeks as I thought of 47 undressing me. Determined to discover my whereabouts I shook off my childish thoughts and swung my legs over the side. The pain in my side was starting to gain strength as my feet touched the cool marble floor.

I wasn't sure if I had the strength for this but my curiosity was getting the better of me, and I wasn't sure when my carer would return. I pushed down on the soft mattress and attempted to straighten myself, the injury in my side tugged uncomfortably as I wobbled upwards. I was just teetering unsteadily, my hands still supporting me when I heard someone on the other side of the door. 47 walked in and stopped abruptly, a look of surprised amusement on his face at my compromising position.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He was holding a grocery bag under one arm, his white shirt sleeves rolled up, his red tie absent. A flash of him placing the balled up tie in my mouth made me gasp and I lost my concentration. I plopped down on the bed again, the movement jostling my wound. Groaning I collapsed on my side, clutching the bandaged area. 47 sighed impatiently and walked over. Placing the bag on the bedside table he gently maneuvered me back to my original position and placed the sheets back over me, covering my bare legs.

He raised an eyebrow at my stroppy expression and started rummaging in the bag. "I'm sorry about your attire but this place wasn't really meant to have guests so it will have to do for now." I glanced down at the shirt, which was obviously one of his; he had rolled the sleeves up for me but it still drowned me. There was something weirdly intimate about wearing his clothes. He produced a jar of antiseptic cream and a roll of fresh bandages. I eyed them warily as he walked over to the large window.

"Where are we?" My voice came out in a croak. I blushed as he looked at me sideways, an amused half smile pulling at his mouth. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Where are we?" He began pulling back the curtains, a spectacular view of a mountain range to the right and the sea to the left greeted me. It definitely looked Italian but where exactly.

"We are in Sicily Morgan." I frowned, he had driven me to Sicily, why? "In the town of Torrenova to be exact." I looked at the room again, it was sparsely decorated and very clean.

"Are we in a hotel?" 47 shook his head as he returned to the bedside, picking up the jar of cream and looking down at me.

"No. This is my house." I did a double take. The unexpected answer taking me by surprise.

"Your-your house? You have a house?" He started to undo the jar, his expression dead pan.

"Yes. Am I not allowed one?" He placed the lid on the bedside table and regarded me coolly.

"No, no, you're allowed one. I just never pegged you for someone who would want one." He didn't break my gaze as he pulled down the sheets, exposing my bandaged stomach. I didn't want to stop this fascinating conversation, but I was finding it hard to ignore what 47 was trying to do. He noticed me flicking nervous glances at the jar and my tummy and raised an eyebrow at me.

"I need to change your dressings Morgan. Do you mind?" He indicated my wound with a nod of his head, and I dumbly shook mine in response. All thoughts of the house situation flew out of my mind as he sat by my feet and slowly began to unwind the bandages wrapped around me. I was acutely aware of one of his hands lifting my back up so he could reach under me; the feel of his hand on my skin sending confusing signals to my brain. His attention was completely focused on the task at hand, and I wondered how many times he had done this whilst I was unconscious. I fought down the blush threatening to make things awkward, I had promised myself I would maintain a professional relationship with my agent but this was not a situation I had ever pictured us being in.

47 had finished unwrapping me like the world's worst pass the parcel and was gently prising off a thick wad of bandage. I noticed with a jolt of alarm that it was stained red. "Am I still bleeding?" He looked up at me then, his blue eyes calm and steady.

"Only a little, it's normal." He placed the blood-stained fabric on the table and reached over to grab a pack of wipes that were there. Taking one he cleaned the livid wound on my side, I could see a little blood seeping from it but other wise it looked clean. The small jagged scar made my stomach flip, that was where the bullet had hit. The feel of the wipe was nice, the skin around the hole was still blistered from where the knife had burned me. I couldn't stop looking at the concentration on 47 face as he slowly and methodically cared for my wound. Once the area was cleaned to his satisfaction he took some of the antiseptic cream and gently rubbed it over the scar. The cold feeling of it made me jump slightly and I saw his eyes flick to me, making sure I was okay. The strange, awkwardness of the situation became too much for me.

"So…do you bring many girls back to your secret house and rub cream on them?" 47's hand froze, he slowly straightened his head up to fix me with an icy stare. I grinned at him nervously and I saw him sigh in frustration.

"Morgan, we are currently being hunted by the ICA because of your little stunt and my inability to let you die. So I would appreciate if you could take things a little more seriously." I swallowed. He had gone against the agency, for me? The gratitude I suddenly felt for the assassin hit me like a wave, and I let him finish wrapping me up with fresh bandages in silence.

He wordlessly packed the medical things away in the bedside table and picked up the rest of the groceries. As he was turning to go I plucked up the courage to ask him something that has been bugging me since he had come in.

"Why are you calling me Morgan?" He turned slowly and gave me an expressionless look.

"I see little point in calling you Peregrine when we are both currently not employed by the agency. I thought you would like to be addressed by your birth name for a change." I gave him a small smile, the kind thought not lost on me.

"It's nice…for a change." His mouth twitched and he looked like he wanted to continue talking, but the walls were back up and he gave me a curt nod.

"Rest. You still need to heal and we have a lot to do." With that he exited the bedroom and I sank back in my pillows. I hadn't thought I was tired; I had just woken up but even as I thinking that my eyes started to feel heavy. It only took a few moments before I fell into a deep sleep.

….

I woke with a start. It was dark now, some time in the night. Moonlight gave the room an ethereal glow, my limbs felt stronger now but my throat was burning uncomfortably with thirst. As if the room had read my mind I spotted a glass of water waiting for me on the bedside table. I sat up slowly and gratefully downed the entire glass in one go. I felt better, but I had gone a long time without drinking, or eating for that matter and I resolved to explore outside the one room I had seen so far.

Throwing the covers off I swung my legs round and braced myself with my arms. I already felt more confident than the last time I had attempted this and it only took a minute for me to stand up straight, albeit swaying slightly from side to side. Carefully I put one foot in front of the other and shuffled my way to the door. I opened it to reveal a corridor with a railing on one side looking down into a large living area. I stared open mouthed at the generous villa that 47 apparently owned. There were another few doors along the corridor; I assumed various bedrooms and a bathroom, a staircase at the far end led down to the floor below.

I shuffled my way to the stairs and gingerly took them one at a time, gripping on tightly to the banister. I was certainly stronger than I had been, but my legs still felt unstable and the movement of walking was tugging uncomfortably at my side. After an excruciating amount of time I finally reached the ground floor. There were marble tiles down here as well, it kept the whole house cool, handy for a hot country like Sicily. I scoped out the living area; it had a large open plan design, there were two large sofas placed in the center of the room facing an open fireplace. The whole place was decorated in a very minimalist way, the walls were an inoffensive cream and there were only one or two expensive looking paintings on the wall. It was a world away from my cramped style of living, but really I had expected nothing less from my enigmatic agent.

I snorted in amusement as I gripped onto one of the sofas for support. It was made out of a soft white leather, I made a mental note to never sit on it as I would likely scratch it or spill something on it within seconds. I became aware of the stillness of the place, there wasn't a sound from anywhere in or outside the house. It felt logical that 47 would choose somewhere away from everything, whereas I usually liked being near the center of things. I was suddenly reminded of my family home in Wales, the quiet peacefulness of a country house was unmistakable. A pang of longing overwhelmed me, and I quickly returned to my search for the kitchen. Thinking about home always hurt, it felt like a lifetime since I had seen my parents last.

I made my way to an open archway on the far side of the room. There were two small steps leading down into another large area. I paused, stunned by the amazing view in front of me. The whole of one wall was a large sliding door leading out to a balcony; the view was the same one in my bedroom except from here you could see a wide panorama of the town below nestled between the mountain and the sea. We were set up on a hillside looking down on everything, a very good vantage point I noted with a smirk.

Moonlight flooded through the doors illuminating the room I was now in. It was an open plan kitchen diner, everything looked brand new and untouched. I made a beeline for the kitchen area, every now and then glancing at the stunning view to my right. I leant on the granite counter top, fatigue starting to set in after my epic journey from the bedroom.

After taking a moment to catch my breath I shuffled over the sink and looked around for the most likely place someone would store a glass. I reached up with some difficulty to open one of the cupboards above me, with a sigh of relief I saw a line of glass tumblers. Stretching up on my tiptoes I extended my hand trying to grab one. Typical that 47's house would have everything to high for me. My fingers brushed against the cool glass of one of the tumblers and I gently tried to edge it towards me, my tongue sticking out in concentration. Inch by inch it crept closer until I could just about get my whole hand around it, but I was still very much uncoordinated and just as I went to close my hand around it, it tipped and fell towards the hard stone counter below. I grimaced as I watched it fall in slow motion anticipating the smash, but it seemed 47 got his glasses from the indestructible glass company as to my complete surprise the tumbler bounced and rolled safely on the counter. It let out a bell like ringing at it struck the granite, which echoed loudly in the quiet house.

"Shit." I cursed under my breath as I attempted to capture the escaping glass. I held it up; inspecting the edges astounded I hadn't broken it, when a quiet and amused voice spoke behind me.

"We really have to work on your stealth." I spun round, clutching the glass to my chest. 47 was staring at me from across the room, his arms folded. He had his half smile on his face as he regarded my shocked expression. I quickly recovered and narrowed my eyes at him.

"Yeah well, I've recently been shot so I'm not exactly performing at my best." 47 snorted and walked over to me, I could have sworn that had been a laugh but by the time he reached me his expression was unreadable once more.

"Allow me." He gently prized the glass from my hand and went over to the fridge. I leant back on the counter, trying to conserve my limited energy as 47 took a jug of water out of the fridge and filled the glass for me. I gave him a skeptical look as he held it out to me.

"I would have been fine with the tap." He shook his head and thrust the glass into my hand.

"It's not safe, you might get poisoning from it." I raised my eyebrows at him and flashed him a cheeky grin as I slowly sipped the cold water.

"And what's to say you haven't done the same to this?" 47 tilted his head to the side and looked down at me, his expression un-amused.

"Very funny Morgan. Drink." He turned away from me as I greedily drank the rest of it, my thirst once more becoming apparent, as I tasted the water. He moved quietly over to the sliding doors and opened one, letting the cool night air rush into the kitchen. I shivered, suddenly aware I was still only wearing his shirt. The movement caught his eye and without a word he walked out of the room and returned moments later with a wool blanket.

"Here." He stated simply, holding the blanket out to me. Placing the glass carefully down this time, I took it and wrapped it round me gratefully hiding my exposed legs. He walked out onto the balcony and after a moment of indecision I followed him. The balcony was surrounded by a glass railing; I eyed it nervously, sure if there was a way to break it I would probably be the one to find it. 47 was leaning on it, looking out over the valley towards the sea. I could just about hear the crash of waves in the distance, it was very calm out here.

I shuffled over and leant next to the assassin, the night breeze ruffling my hair. He was still as he stared out; I stood staring too in companionable silence for a moment glancing at him every now and then. I could just make out his tattoo from this angle, and the closeness of the situation made me suddenly confident in asking something I had wanted to know for a while.

"What do the numbers mean?" It took him a second to respond, he looked down at me his icy blue eyes piercing into me. He didn't look upset by my question however, just thoughtful as if trying to work out how to explain it to me.

"The first six numbers are my creation date, the second six show where I placed in the experiments that made me." I didn't know what to say. It was very easy to forget that 47 wasn't born but made in a lab somewhere. The revelation brought the chilling thought home to me. I craned my neck trying to see the numbers again, 47 knew what I wanted and obligingly turned his head away so I could see the mark clearly in the moonlight.

"64,05,09. So that's your birthday?" He turned back to look at me, his expression stern.

"Creation day." He corrected me. I rolled my eyes at him, then did some quick maths in my head.

"That means you're…57. Whoa, you really don't age do you." He cocked an eyebrow at me, then resumed looking out over the valley. I turned to lean on the railing facing 47's impressive villa. "So why Sicily?" I saw him glance at me sideways then continue staring ahead.

"I stayed here for a while once. Tried to live a normal life, it didn't work out. But I guess I've always felt like here is the closest to home I've ever been. So I bought a place here, in case I ever wanted to try the normal life again." He looked at me properly now; it was moments like these I forgot there was a highly trained assassin stood next to me. These glimpses into his sad, violent life made me want to show him that the world didn't completely revolve around powerful and dishonest people, and then I remembered that it did and nothing I could say would change that.

"That's enough questions for tonight." He pushed off from the railing and started to walk inside, gesturing for me to follow. I grimaced as I shuffled towards him, the wound in my side starting protest at my continuing exercise. 47's brow furrowed as he watched me struggling and held his arm out to me. I took it gratefully and he steered me carefully inside the house. He walked me through the living room and back up the stairs, never once appearing impatient at my slow pace.

"What time is it?" The thought suddenly occurred to me as I had no idea what day, or in fact month it was currently. Without stopping or checking any kind of device that I could see 47 answered smoothly.

"3am." I looked at him properly for the first time, he was still dressed in a shirt and suit trousers.

"Don't you sleep?" He gave me a sideways looks as we inched down the veranda corridor to my bedroom.

"Not really. I don't need as much sleep as you anyway." I glanced at the other doors as we passed them.

"Is one of these yours?" He understood what I meant and shook his head.

"I never envisioned living with anyone else so there is only one bedroom." My eyes widened as I realised what he was saying; his mouth lifted into a slight smirk. "It's okay Morgan, you need the bed more than me." We were back in the bedroom in question, my brain started to grow weary just seeing the bed again.

"So what are all those other rooms?" I asked, determined to keep him talking while he was answering. He drove me purposefully towards the bed and lowered me down gently.

"I'll show you tomorrow, but right now you need to get your body clock back on track. I can't have you waking up at random times for the next week." I lifted my legs into the bed, my body already shutting down after my nighttime adventure. I yawned and he stared down at me, a strange look I couldn't place in his eyes.

"Okay, but I'm holding you to it." I gave him a weak smile and he turned to leave. Shooting over his shoulder before he exited the bedroom.

"I have my own questions for you too, get some sleep and we'll talk in the morning."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The sunlight woke me again, but this time I could tell it was morning. Birds were making a racket outside my window, I must have been really out of it to have slept through that last time. I stretched my limbs, they felt better today; my walk last night must have loosened them up. There was a glass of orange juice on my bedside table this morning, and I noticed some clothes laid out on a chair in the corner of the room. I wondered how long 47 would tolerate playing nursemaid before he just decided I was well again and leave me somewhere.

I downed the orange juice, the sharp taste burning my throat on the way. My exit from the bed this morning was the best yet; I only had to support myself half the way. I teetered over to the chair, my suspicion rising as I didn't recognise the clothes. There was a new pair of jeans, and a new light blue, short-sleeved shirt. I began to colour slightly as I spotted a new set of underwear too, I don't know why I found it so embarrassing, I needed new underwear and he had got me some. It was very logical. There was a note attached to the bundle of clothes, my eyes narrowed as I read the bossy instructions.

 _You'll need to change your bandages again. There are fresh ones in the en-suite, don't forget the cream._

Even in writing I could hear his demanding tone. I stared at the neat cursive for a moment, realising I had never seen 47's writing before. It was very ordered and clear, a lot like him really. Gathering the new clothes in my arms I walked into what I had thought was a closet, but was in fact an en-suite. I let out a snort as I looked at the room, which was bigger than the living area in my New York flat.

The walls and floor were covered in a sand coloured stone, there was a large walk in shower and I uttered a silent thank you as the thought of having to get 47 to help me out of a bath was not an inviting prospect. I laid the clothes down by the sink and carefully pulled the sleep-crumpled shirt I was wearing over my head. I looked down at the bandages wrapped around me, unsure whether I was going to be able to do this. Finding the end I began to gently unwind them, revealing more and more of my pale skin. Eventually I was left with the wad of folded fabric over the gunshot wound. It was still a funny shade of pink, but there was a lot less blood than the last time I had seen it. Gingerly I removed it and placed it on the counter.

There was a large mirror above the sink and I studied myself nervously, the livid red wound was like a punctuation mark next to my stomach. It was definitely going to scar, there was no doubt there. I touched it tentatively, the pain was a distant memory now, there was just a sensitivity where the new skin was growing over its burnt and broken predecessor. I noticed with a swell of gratitude how clean it was, 47 had done a good job tending to me while I had been out for the count.

I removed my dirty underwear and stepped into the walk-in shower, the feeling of water on my sensitive wound making me jump but I soon adjusted to the wonderfully warm downpour. It's amazing what a shower can do for someone's mood, after spending a while in there I almost felt back to normal. A miracle considering I had been shot in the stomach. I patted myself dry, careful not to rub too hard on my injury and applied some more antiseptic cream. After a bit of trial and error I managed to cover the wound up with fresh bandages and dress in my new clothes. They fitted perfectly, of course they did.

Tying my wet hair up into my usual ponytail, I was sick of it getting in my face, I left the bedroom and slowly made my way downstairs. I could faintly hear someone moving around in the kitchen so I made my way steadily there. As I rounded the archway I saw 47 with his back to me. The smell of eggs cooking made my stomach growl in hunger, I wasn't entirely sure when I had last eaten. I shuffled over to the island behind him and rested my chin in my hands as I leant on it.

"Please don't tell me you can cook as well?" He shot a look at me over his shoulder before resuming what he was doing. He hadn't seemed the least surprised at my sudden appearance. I thought I had been quiet god damn it. I watched his back as he worked, giving him the gift of my silence as a thank you for cooking for me.

After a few more minutes he turned around holding a plate with an omelette on it. I straightened up as he indicated the table behind me and followed him over to it. He placed the plate down and sat opposite it, looking at me expectantly. I stared down at him for a moment, fighting back a smirk.

"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked him lightly, he shook his head.

"I ate earlier." I cautiously sat down and looked at the food he had made me. I heard him sigh in exasperation. "No Morgan, I have not poisoned this either. It is perfectly safe to eat." I looked up at him sharply, his blue eyes slightly narrowed at my supposed skepticism.

"I wasn't thinking that, I was just wondering if there is anything you can't do." His mouth twitched at this, one eyebrow rising infinitesimally.

"I can't code." I let out a loud laugh, his eyes widening at the unfamiliar noise.

"Touché sir." His mouth stretched into one of his rare genuine smiles, I didn't look away until it had faded; it wasn't often I got to see one of those. I began to eat the omelette in front of me, it was very good, there were mushrooms and something that I presumed was Italian sausage in it. It was lovely. I gave him a grin, as he watched me eat.

"My complements to the chef, it's almost as good as my Mum's." He sat back in his chair folding his arms, a half smile on his face now.

"High praise indeed. I shall try not to steal her thunder though." The humorous, lighthearted comment made me smile. He waited for me to finish before taking away the plate and returning with another glass of juice. As I sipped at it gratefully I notice his expression becoming sterner. He was going to want to talk shop soon, I could tell. My stomach twisted in nervous anticipation, I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell him what I had been up to. Before the easy atmosphere between us disappeared completely, I decided to say something I should have said the minute I had woken up.

"Thank you." My voice was quiet but sincere; all of my gratitude at him saving my life and looking after me poured into those two little words. His blue eyes softened as he regarded me.

"You're welcome Morgan." He held my gaze for a few moments before the walls came up signaling we were about to get serious. I was glad I had managed to thank him before he likely decided to kill me for what I was about to tell him. "So what exactly is so important that you decided to make an enemy of a very dangerous organisation, and nearly get yourself killed in the process?" His expression was as hard as granite, he wanted answers and to be honest I couldn't blame him. But I had one more question for him before I started laying out the horrible truth I had uncovered.

"Can I just ask why you decided to save me? Not that I'm not grateful, it's just…you didn't have to." He sighed and looked away from me, he seemed to deliberate for a moment and decided I wasn't going to proceed until he had told me.

"You are my handler Morgan, and I chose you to be my handler." He locked eyes with me again, his icy gaze making me shiver involuntarily. "This means I trust you more than other people, so when you do something rash like this I tend to think it's for a good reason." I swallowed nervously, he didn't look happy with me. "Now that I have shown my hand to the agency and given you the chance to make your case, I feel it only right you oblige me." His voice was low and menacing. No matter what we had been through together, I had the sense my next words would decide my fate.

"You gave Diana the same chance didn't you? When she stole Victoria from the agency." He didn't look away this time; he was waiting for me to talk now simply nodding once to my question. I took a deep breath and resolved to rip it off like a band-aid. "I didn't believe what Cicada had told me at first, or I didn't want to believe it but when I found out about Victoria it kind of sealed the deal for me." He was watching me, unblinking, his silence forcing me to keep going. "After we dealt with Timothy in that basement Cicada sent me a message. They told me the ICA were attempting to create more assassins like you, and that they'd nearly succeeded before. But this time…this time it was worse." I looked down at my hands resting on the table, I could still feel 47's eyes on me though. "I was getting nowhere trying to hack the agency, I didn't want to alert them but obviously I did. When I found Birdie and he gave me the evidence that they had done genetic experiments…well, it scared me 47. I didn't know if I could trust you not to tell the agency about what I was doing."

I looked back at the assassin with this admission. He closed his eyes slowly, breathing out in a deep sigh. "Morgan…I know what it looks like but we got rid of the man responsible for her. The agency knows the dangers of cloning, had it occurred to you that Cicada might be trying to use you?" He opened his eyes again, some of the hardness gone, an edge of concern to them now. I relaxed slightly, he didn't think I was trying to betray them at least just that I was misguided.

"Yes, it did occur to me, and right up to us eliminating Bianchi I was coming round to that idea. But what I found on his computer can't have been fabricated, it just can't have been." My tone was forceful, almost pleading with 47 to believe me. He leant forward, resting his arms on the table and clasping his hands together.

"What did you find?" My hands were shaking slightly, I had been carrying this burden for months now, the facts and fictions gnawing away at my sanity bit by bit. I wanted to share it but I was afraid he wouldn't accept what I found and would finish what the agency had started in Catanzaro. "I found a police report from a town in Albania. A missing child, who didn't talk; the police did a DNA test to try and help locate his parents." I locked eyes with 47, my voice becoming steadier as I revealed what I had seen. "The test came back with an exact match to a notorious mafia boss in Italy. Exact…there were no other DNA traces detected, it was as if the boy _was_ the mafia boss."

"A clone." His tone was even and calm, but I saw his eyes narrow ever so slightly. I nodded, my expression grave.

"Yes, that is the conclusion the Albanian police came to too. According to the report he displayed aggressive tendencies, and managed to seriously injure one of the officers despite his size." 47 looked off into the distance, a pensive look on his face.

"What makes you think the agency is behind this? It could have been anyone." I gave a humourless laugh.

"This is where it gets interesting, the police never got to dig any further into the boy's origins as a few days after finding him they all disappeared. Poof, just gone, nothing. The five officers and the boy all vanished into thin air overnight." The assassin looked back at me, his eyebrow raised quizzically.

"People don't just disappear Morgan, I should know." I gave him a ruthful smile.

"I know you do, and I thought the same. So I did some digging and found out that Bianchi had got the report from one of his old activist associates in his hometown. Turns out his friend was the brother of one of the officers in Albania and after he disappeared he went looking for him. He found him, well his body at least, in a hole in some woods on the border with Kosovo. The other police officers were there but not the boy, it appeared they had died from hypothermia." I gave 47 a pointed look. "I looked into the agency's contract history around the time the boy was found. A clean up team was sent out to Kosovo for a classified job. It could be a coincidence, but after finding out about their past interests in genetically modified humans and the timing I doubt it highly."

The weight had lifted from my shoulders, I had told 47 everything I had found so far and I waited nervously for his judgment. He was silent for a long time, and I could feel my heart starting to pound in my chest. After what felt like an age he shifted in his seat and leant back, folding his arms again.

"It certainly looks like the ICA are involved, but how exactly isn't clear." I nodded, breathing out in relief at 47's willingness to discuss it.

"I know, I had just managed to gain the information on the apparent cover-up when you turned up in my decoy apartment in Catanzaro. I've got a lead for the clone boy's origins but I wasn't sure how to proceed." 47 looked away, deep in thought again. I patiently waited for him to process the information I had downloaded on him.

"The ICA is neutral, it is why clients come to us. To experiment in human cloning would risk that neutrality, I don't think it is a widely known operation if it is happening within the agency." I nodded again.

"Diana would have known." He stared at me again, his blue eyes boring into my head.

"Yes, and she wouldn't have allowed it. Victoria was bad enough, but she was merely genetically enhanced. If what you say is true then the ICA have started creating Class 1 clones. That is highly controversial…not to mention unethical." I raised my eyebrows at the assassin.

"Bit ironic coming from you don't you think." His expression hardened.

"I never asked to be created Morgan, and I am fully aware of what I represent." He sighed then, looking down at his folded arms. "I don't usually concern myself with politics, but the thought of someone having to live through what I did growing up. No one should have to experience that." He looked back up at me, his expression slightly sad. I blinked at him, his sudden vulnerability taking me aback. A pregnant pause grew between us.

"So…what happens now?" My voice wavered, not sure I wanted to know the answer. He was stern again, his eyes hard as steel.

"We follow your lead." I tilted my head, a small grin tugging at my mouth.

"We?" 47 snorted slightly.

"I think I've made it clear whose side I'm on currently. I can't let you run around on your own getting yourself into more trouble." The grin stretched across my face, a jolt of excitement rushing through me. He stood up slowly, turning to move away from the table. "The agents in Italy tried to kill me too. We'll need someone on the inside to keep us informed of the agency's movements."

"Diana?" He nodded and walked off towards the stairs. I raised myself slowly out of the seat and followed him.

"Yes. We'll have to contact her without the agency knowing." I grinned again.

"I'm sure I can think of something." I was level with 47 now as we ascended the stairs. We walked along the veranda and stopped outside one of the rooms I had thought was a bedroom last night. 47 turned to me and looked down his nose at me.

"For the sake of anonymity I'll have to start calling you Peregrine again." I shrugged, after two years I was used to having two names but it had been nice to hear him say my real name for a while.

"Okay. I don't mind." He nodded and opened the door to the room, gesturing for me to enter first. I stopped in my tracks; he had been right, this definitely wasn't a bedroom. The room was bare of furniture apart from a large table in the center. It was made from what looked like metal and glass, 47 flicked a switch as he entered behind me illuminating the room. A light in the table lit up the glass surface, on it was arranged every conceivable weapon I could imagine. I turned to him, a sarcastic look on my face.

"In case you wanted a normal life huh?" He shrugged as he moved past me over to a cabinet on the wall.

"I have to be prepared Perry." I felt like our relationship was back on familiar ground as he easily switched back to using my codename. He opened the cabinet and took out a laptop, which he placed on the glass table beside two pistols and of all things, a rubber duck. I pointed at it giving him a quizzical look. His mouth twitched as he shook his head slightly. I resolved to ask him about that another time, it wasn't something I could just ignore.

Pulling the laptop towards me, taking care not to knock anything else on the table, I lifted the screen and turned it on. I brushed my hands over the keys, the familiarity of them making me feel in control again. 47 came to stand just behind me; I could feel his eyes burning into my fingers as he watched me work.

"What is this lead then?" His voice was loud in my ear, making me jump slightly. I twisted my head to see his face better, his eyes flicked down to me.

"Bianchi's associate said he found his brother's notes on the boy, he had followed what little tracks he had left to a Doctor in Serbia." A look of concern I couldn't place flickered in 47's eyes before he returned his gaze to the laptop.

"Okay. We'll start there. Cicada are also going to be a problem, they wanted you to find that police report for a reason." I was still staring up at him when he locked eyes with me again. My stomach clenched as I processed his words. We exchanged a brief look, having 47 working with me again made me determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. I turned my attention back to the laptop and opened an onion router, a smirk twisting my mouth.

"Cicada and the ICA? Easy, no problem." I felt 47 move as he let out a low chuckle, the alien sound shocking me.

"Careful you don't get too cocky Peregrine." I accessed my vigilante page, I hadn't seen it in a while and there were a number of requests. I ignored them, my needs greater than those other poor souls at the moment, and posted an encrypted message for Diana.

 _Tobias and Perry back together._

 _Continuing tour of Europe, seeking someone to handle logistics._

 _Please PM for more details._

I grinned as I felt 47's eyes on the back of my head. "Very clever Perry, do you think she'll see it?" I turned around and faced him.

"I know she knows about my hobby, just like you do. You two aren't very good at hiding your tracks online. But then I guess that's why you have me." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"We'll make our way to Serbia, hopefully she'll get the message by the time we're there. I have a feeling the agency knows where we headed." He reached slowly into his trouser pocket. "We'll depart here this evening. Make sure you're ready, I don't like to stay in one place too long." He took my hand and held it out in front of me. My brow furrowed as I watched him deposit something small and shiny into my palm. "I found it in your jeans. Thought you'd like to keep it." I stared at the coin; its surface was spotted slightly with my blood. He had given it to me when I had first started as an active handler, a sign that he was keeping an eye on me. I closed my fingers over talisman I had always kept on me since then.

I looked up at 47, giving him a small smile. "Thanks."

His mouth twitched in response, an unfamiliar expression on his face. "Be ready by 6." Without another word he turned and left me clutching the coin, wondering what I had got us both into.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/U: Sorry again for the delay, still finding my way with the story a little. Hope you enjoy and as always reviews very much appreciated. :)**

47

Chapter 10

I had made the right decision. I repeated the mantra for the hundredth time in my head as I sat in the motel room we were staying in, cleaning my pistol. Peregrine was sleeping in one of the twin beds, her slow, steady breathing setting the pace for my ritual. The sound of another person sleeping peacefully in my vicinity had been a strange experience initially. There had been a few times in the four days I had tended to Perry's wound when I had wondered what I was doing exactly. I was in the habit of ending people's lives, not prolonging them. As soon as she woke up however, all doubts flew from mind, even if just for a moment. She was simultaneously the smartest and also the most reckless person I had met. Her undying fearlessness, and determination to take on any challenge presented to her was infectious.

I began to slowly clean and oil the individual elements of my weapon, as I was lost in thought. The task was so familiar to me I could let my mind drift as I completed it. We had left my safe house in Sicily dead on 6pm, Perry had been ready and waiting a rucksack containing some of the clothes I had bought her, the laptop and a pistol I insisted she carry. I had known her long enough now to predict that if there were the slightest whiff of trouble, Perry would likely find it. She had pulled a face as I handed the 45. Caliber to her, the last time she had held one she had shot someone in the head. I could see even after extensive therapy sessions arranged by Diana, the shadow of that first kill was still with her.

Taking the black Audi I kept stored in the garage at the safe house, and leaving the stole, battered and bloodstained Ferrari, we had driven through the night back to Italy and the port town of Brindisi. Seeing that the next ferry to Albania wasn't until morning I had booked us into a small motel near the docks so Perry could rest. Ideally I wouldn't have embarked on such a risky journey with someone that had been shot in the abdomen and only received rudimentary treatment five days ago; but our situation wasn't ideal in any shape or form. I knew if I stayed in Sicily too long the ICA would trace us there, and I wanted to keep that house a firm secret from the agency.

I glanced up from my task to watch Perry's calm face as she slept. It was amazing how vulnerable people became when they rested; her utter trust in me baffled me still. I had never liked the idea of forming relationships with anyone in all my 57 years, I had of course made a few, rare exceptions. Father Vittorio, Victoria and Diana. All of these had been built on necessity and careful, respectful understanding of my need for privacy. But Peregrine had been different right from the start; at first she had been an obstacle, suspicious of my cover and fiercely intelligent, a threat. I had considered disposing of her initially, however Diana's sudden need to tend to Victoria had left me without the tools to complete the contract and the feisty, slightly odd girl became a convenient ally.

My decision to choose her as Diana's replacement had raised a few eyebrows, but I had insisted she was a natural and would easily become an asset to the agency. She had proved me right becoming more than capable at handling her agent and herself, but I found it hard to ignore the nagging feeling I got when I hadn't checked up on the trouble prone girl in a while. I had put it down to feeling responsible for her fate, but the more time I spent with her the more that excuse just didn't fit. Largely I ignored the strange, unfamiliar relationship I had with my handler but in the few times I had watched her come to harm it became impossible to explain away my inexplicable behaviour. I frowned as I started to reassemble my pistol, slotting the pieces together firmly as I let my unwelcome emotions wash over me.

Regardless of what this thing between us was, I had made my bed and I intended to see it through. Peregrine had uncovered something monumental, since my creator's death I hadn't heard of any other cases of Class 1 clones being made. Genetically enhanced humans, yes, Victoria was proof of that but nobody like me. I placed the cleaned pistol on the small table in front of me. It was 4am, we had two hours before the ferry left for Albania. I was just about to get up and change, ready for the next leg of our journey when a loud ping reverberated around the small motel room. Perry snorted loudly and shot upright glaring around her, I struggled to suppress a smirk at her disheveled but fierce appearance.

Her hair was sticking up slightly out of her ponytail and her eyes blinked rapidly trying to adjust to her surroundings as she searched for the source of the noise. I watched as she finally collected herself and reached for the partially closed laptop on the bedside table. I stood up and slowly walked over to her bed as she opened the laptop and began typing furiously.

"Is there a problem?" Her sleep filled eyes flicked to me briefly before returning to the blue glare of the screen. Her brow was furrowed, the tip of her tongue sticking out in concentration. I watched her patiently, seeing the signs of her stress and letting her work. Eventually her typing slowed and she sighed, a small smirk teasing the corner of her mouth.

"It's okay, it was an agency analyst but I threw them off, buys us some more time." She slid the laptop away from her and rubbed her eyes. I shifted slightly on my feet, waiting for her wake up. She moved so her legs were on the worn carpet and sat gazing up at me. Her brown eyes were alert now, a small smile stretching her mouth. "Still not sleeping?"

I shook my head, "No. We'll be leaving in an hour. You sure the agency don't know where we are?" She stood up, she was wearing her shirt and a pair of shorts, she only came up to chin so still had to crane her neck to look at me.

"We're fine. They're just clutching at straws at the moment, I've set the alarm to tell me if they get close but they still haven't got anything solid."

I nodded, satisfied we were still in the clear and decided to change my clothes. I left Perry stretching in the bedroom as I entered the tiny bathroom off from it. Quickly I showered, letting the hot water loosen my muscles, and wrapped a towel round my waist. Peregrine was sat in the chair I had been cleaning my pistol in earlier, staring intently at the laptop screen. Her eyes glanced at me as I re-entered the bedroom and moved over to my briefcase lying on the unused bed. I shot a sideways look at her as I felt her eyes continue to stare at me. She looked away, a red flush entering her cheeks as I caught her staring.

I shrugged on a white shirt and retrieved my tie, beginning to knot it as Perry stood up stretching her arms above her head. "Still nothing from Diana. Are you sure she will want to help? I mean I have completely gone against every bit of protocol the agency has at this point." I adjusted the knot of my tie, and stared at her for a moment.

"Diana and I have been through a lot, and if there's one thing I know about it her, it's that she always does the right thing. She was betrayed by the agency as much as me in Italy, they went behind her back…or someone did. Getting answers will be as high on her list of priorities as ours." She nodded, chewing her lip in thought.

"I never meant to disappoint her." Her brown eyes were filled with concern; it was strange to me how someone who did her job could care so much about people at the same time. She was lost in her own guilt as I glanced at the motel's alarm clock on the bedside table.

"It's half 4. You should get ready." My reminder of our current objective snapped her out of her pensive state, and she purposefully marched into the bathroom. I finished dressing and packed our things away, holstering my pistol inside my suit jacket. She was ready in few minutes, her jeans back on with a fresh dark green and navy checked shirt. She grinned at me as she shouldered her rucksack after stowing the laptop back inside it. The tired, fearful Perry that I had been seeing a few weeks before was gone, she was back to her quick, cheeky self.

We checked out of the motel and drove the short distance to the ferry port. The only other vehicles waiting were a few weary truck drivers, taking their cargo across the border. We sat in silence as we waited for the ferry to start boarding; Perry looked out of the window at the docks as the dawn light illuminated them. This was a strange and new experience for me, having someone accompanying me on a job. True, it wasn't a conventional contract as such, but even when I had gone rogue last time I had left Victoria in the care of others. I had always worked alone, with my handler only giving assistance when required. I stared at the back of my handler's head now as she watched the various dockworkers and truck drivers milling about, her chin resting on her hand. She noticed me looking and turned to me, her cheeks dimpling as she flashed me her easy smile.

"So what's our cover story?" I frowned slightly at her unexpected question. She rolled her eyes at my hesitation. "Well, we're going to have to think of something. People are going to see us together at some point, and we don't exactly look like tourists." She made a good point; we were an odd couple, worlds apart in the way we dressed and acted. I thought for a moment, she watched me as I deliberated. Before I could utter my response she chipped in, a warning tone in her voice. "I'd like to also point out, that despite your age you really don't look old enough to be my father okay?" She had a deadly look on her face, clearly the mere idea of being presented as my daughter pissed her off. She was right of course, my genetics meant that I looked closer to my mid thirties than late fifties, and as Perry was 28 that cover really wouldn't work.

Without a word I got out of the car and opened the boot where our luggage was stored. I remembered storing this in case I needed to stake out any targets and record their movements, retrieving the bag I was looking for I returned to the driver's seat. Perry eyed the bag curiously.

"How do you feel posing as my photographer?" I handed the camera bag to her; tentatively she took it unzipping it to examine the DSLR inside. "I can pass as an investigative journalist and you're my work colleague." She didn't respond, I watch in fascination as she took the old Nikon out and turned it over in her hands, taking the lens off and looking at things I had very little knowledge of. She reminded me of a professional killer getting to know their weapon, there was a familiarity in the way she clicked the lens back into place and looked through the viewfinder.

"Yeah, I guess that could work." She said, squinting through one eye as she focused the lens on me. I stared into the black glass, my expression blank as she pushed the shutter the camera emitting a click and a whirr as she took the picture. Grinning she lowered the camera, I raised an eyebrow slowly at her. "Just like old times eh?"

My mouth twitched slightly, a strange, warm sensation spreading through my chest at her words. The roar of the ferry's engines coming to life made us both look out the front windscreen of the car. The conversation was over and Perry stowed her new camera as I started the car and slowly moved us towards our destination.

…

The ferry rocked violently, as it dealt with the choppy water of the Adriatic Sea. A few of the truck drivers who were walking around the deck stumbled, struggling to stay upright. I adjusted my steps as I walked past them, easily dealing with the unsteady motion of the boat.

The passport control on the Italian's side hadn't been too hard to deal with, once Perry had been given her story she lied smoothly to the customs officer. Giving her something she was familiar with had been my plan, as I knew she would slip easily back into her old role as a photographer. After safely boarding, Perry's stomach began to become too loud for us to ignore anymore and I had gone off in search of something to eat. I had found a small café on the top deck of the ferry that was serving refreshments, a tired young woman handed me a coffee and an Italian pastry in a small paper bag.

The weather was fine today, but the sea was rough due to a strong breeze blowing down the coast. Peregrine was on the upper deck, leaning against a railing outside. She turned to look at me as I approached, the camera bag slung over her shoulder. I had a strong sense of de-ja-vu as I stared at her, an impression of the girl I had met two years ago lingering for a second as I walked forwards. It faded as I reached her, the slightly hardened, wiser Perry replacing her. I handed the pastry to her and she took it gratefully. Leaning next to her on the railing we watched the dark, grey sea flow beneath us. Italy was a distant black smudge on the horizon. We stood together neither of us speaking again, it was something I liked about her; even though she could talk for days if prompted she didn't always feel the need to fill the silence.

After a while lost in my own thoughts, a question I had been meaning to ask surfaced. "How did you find Birdie?" She glanced at me sideways, a look of surprise on her face at me speaking first.

"I saw he had been an informant when the agency were after you and Diana, it didn't take much to track him down. He likes to think he's clever but he doesn't half leave a trail of destruction online. He was what I expected anyway. A bit of a slime ball, but he was easy to manipulate." She shrugged turning back to look at the restless sea. I felt my mouth twitch at her assessment of him.

"Yes, he certainly knows where to look for information, as long as you remember he can't be trusted. He's likely got intel on the ICA just in case he ever feels he needs to blackmail them." She positioned herself so she was facing me, her side leaning against the railing still.

"Why didn't you kill him out of interest?" She asked nonchalantly, I stared at her my eyes narrowing.

"He has his uses, but he can be a liability. It wasn't an easy decision to make, believe me. I am certain I will run into him again in unfavorable circumstances and regret not killing him" She grinned at me.

"Good job I placed a virus on that USB I gave him, which will send his location to anyone with a score to settle, including you." I raised my eyebrows at her as she continued. "It'll trigger if he searches for anything relating to the ICA or us." Her grin turned wolfish as she pulled the pastry I had given her out of the bag. I felt my mouth twist into a smirk.

"You can be really scary when you want to be Peregrine." She winked at me as she proceeded to cram the entire pastry into her mouth. I couldn't stop the snort that escaped me at the sight of her cheeks bulging as she continued to grin at me. "Until you do something like that." I retorted. She chuckled through the pastry threatening to evacuate her mouth, and I shook my head in exasperation as she determinedly finished it.

The journey to Albania would take several hours, so we busied ourselves by preparing for our arrival, Perry sat cross legged on a hard plastic seat the laptop balanced on her legs. She was making sure no one was tracking us and checking to see if Diana had responded yet. I was unsure whether my former handler was going to be able to assist us, the agency would be keeping a close watch on her knowing she would find it hard not to help me. After a few hours I returned to the car, happy to leave Peregrine typing away on the open upper deck. The few truck drivers who had been wandering around had slunk back to their vehicles, unable to handle the unstable footing.

I checked that all my weapons were properly hidden, ready to pass though customs on the other side. The Italian border was always more lenient, it's what comes of having a heavy Mafia presence I assumed. The Albanian border would be a little harder to get through, but I had years of experience getting illegal items past security points, so was hardly concerned. I had just finished checking the car when an icy feeling crawled up my spine. Something was wrong, I had a habit of sensing danger even when I was nowhere near it.

Quickly, I snapped the boot shut and walked swiftly towards the upper deck. My senses were telling me that Perry was in danger somehow, so I made a beeline for where I had last seen her. The hard plastic chair was empty and I pivoted on the spot trying to see where she had gone. The outside was empty, as was the inside near the café where I had bought her breakfast not long ago. It was only then that I realised an eerie quiet had settle over the boat, the only sound was the rumble of the engine and the wet thud as the grey sea slapped against the metal hull.

I paused, letting my senses adjust to the sudden unease. I clenched my fists and relaxed them, listening for any sign of life. My body was on autopilot searching for danger, scanning my surroundings, but there was an unfamiliar weight in my stomach that kept nagging at my focus. I was trying to place where I had felt it before when it came to me. The night Perry and I had infiltrated the home of the Cicada recruiter, Timothy Falon. She had disappeared to meet with him and gather intel, and when I had received the call from Diana that she had been compromised I had rushed to her aid only to find her gone. It had taken a good hour of searching the vast mansion before I had found her bound and beaten in his basement, the whole while that same lead weight had been settling in my stomach. I believed they called it dread.

I tried to brush that sense of dread off now as I slowly and silently made my way back down the metal stairs to the lower deck. Our car was parked away from the other vehicles, separated by a sliding metal door. It was silent down below around the Audi, but I did a sweep of the area anyway, unsure what to expect. The thought of being ambushed on a ferry wasn't an attractive one; there was nowhere to go. This wouldn't usually have been a problem for me, I could fight my way out of any situation if need be, but I wasn't alone this time. The issue of having a partner along was becoming more apparent by the second.

Satisfied the coast was clear around the car I retrieved my pistol and its silencer from where I had stashed it for the border crossing earlier. Screwing the silencer onto the muzzle of the gun I slipped quietly over to the metal door hiding the other vehicles from view. Pressing myself against the cool, galvanized steel I strained my hearing, trying to detect any sounds from the other side. Far in the distance I heard the faintest hint of someone shouting, then I heard a noise that made that lead weight in my stomach increase. The unmistakable sound of Perry crying out.

Without hesitating I opened the small hatch to allow people to get through the partition and advanced on the large trucks positioned at the front of the ferry. I held the pistol behind my back as I snuck up on the nearest truck, I could hear feet scuffling and the occasional exclamation, but Perry had gone worryingly quiet. Gritting my teeth I sped towards the cause of the noise, I peered around the side of the vehicle and saw four truck drivers all gathered around the open door of one of the truck cabins. I could just make out Perry's back bent over the passenger chair, she looked as if she was unconscious as she wasn't moving. The drivers were jostling around her still form; they were talking loudly in Italian, "Quella ragazza è carina."

"Sì, lo vorrei" They burst into raucous laughter. That was enough for me, I didn't want to risk shooting them as I might hit Perry. Extracting her was my first priority to stop them doing whatever they were doing to her, I leapt forward triggering cries of surprise from the boisterous men. They parted as I barrel through them, a deadly look on my face. I reached the cabin and took hold of Perry's shoulder, being careful not to jostle her too much due to her still healing wound.

"Whoa! What the fuck?!" Peregrine's angry shout greeted me as I yanked her towards me and out of the truck's cabin. I had backed away out of the throng of drivers with her clutched against my chest, before I registered my surprise at her being conscious. I saw a discarded laptop on the passenger seat where Perry had just been. Frowning, I became aware of her struggling against my iron grip, the truck drivers were glaring at me probably thinking I was assaulting her. I had obviously wildly misjudged the situation.

One of the men was glancing down to my free hand and I realised my pistol was clearly visible to the volatile crowd. They didn't know I was protecting Peregrine, I could see in their faces they were preparing to take me on. I narrowed my eyes at them, unsure how to defuse the scenario I found myself in. Perry was still pulling against my arm, only a few seconds had past since I had grabbed her but I had already run through every possible outcome if a fight ensued. Eventually I gave in and let go of her, she whirled around to face me barely concealed confusion and fury in her brown eyes.

Speaking in a low, angry voice she stared straight at me as she addressed the men behind her. "Va bene, lui è con me." _It's okay, he's with me._

I saw the group relax slightly at her skilfully delivered Italian. The two men who had been talking about her previously exchanged a worried glance, obviously her command of their language was as much a surprise to them as it was to me. I holstered my pistol inside my suit slowly, so as not to aggravate them. Perry turned to face them.

"Scusa il mio amico. Adesso sei computer dovrebbe essere bene." _Sorry about my friend, your computer should be fine now._ One of the Italians smiled at her, his eyes still flicking nervously to me as he spoke to her.

"Grazie bella signora. Sei sicuro che stai bene?" _Thank you beautiful lady. Are you sure you're okay?_

She nodded, smiling kindly at the man. Swivelling on her heel I saw the smile drop instantly as she looked at me, a murderous look in her normally cheerful eyes. She shot a light, "Ciao." Over her shoulder as she marched back the way I had come, grabbing my arm as she did. In any normal circumstances she wouldn't have had any success in trying to move me, however with the unexpected situation and the rage emanating from her I decided to oblige her and followed behind. I heard the men start to talk amongst themselves, and resolved to make a hasty exit once we reached the other port.

"Well that was fucking intense." Perry growled through her teeth, still gripping my upper arm. She marched us all the way back to the Audi and then finally released me. Folding her arms she regarded me, I stared at her coolly, unfazed by her anger. "What were you thinking 47? You almost started a fight." I sighed at her; the lead weight which had been troubling me had now turned to irritation.

"Why did you wander off Peregrine?" She shook her head at me viciously.

"Oh no, don't turn this on me. You were the one who just acted like a psycho for no reason." I folded my arms to match her. I didn't know if I was irritated at her or myself, I had gone against all my training and experience, and nearly created an unnecessarily violent situation.

"I thought they had hurt you." My voice was dangerously quiet as I spoke. I saw her resolve falter, the anger in her eyes fading slightly.

"I was helping him with a virus on his laptop. I was being nice." I didn't blink as I continued to stare at her.

"I heard you shouting." Exasperation replaced the annoyance in her expression.

"That was me laughing you crazy, bald bastard. Just because you're not capable of normal emotions, doesn't mean I'm the same." The loud, insistent horn of the ferry cut through our argument. We were nearing the Albania coast. Perry's fight had completely gone now, she unfolded her arms her face a little fearful. I sighed again and relaxed my aggressive stance.

"Please don't do that again Perry. There are dangerous people after us and god knows what ahead of us, and I've already nearly lost you once." Her eyes softened and she looked down at her feet. "If you have to go anywhere, please inform me first." She nodded sheepishly and got into the car, staring out the windscreen.

I rubbed a hand over my face, the excitement of the past few minutes finally leaving my system. I heard the horn sound again and knew we would be disembarking in moments. As I got into the driver's seat I wandered, not for the last time, if I really truly had made the right decision.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"That sounds a bit messy for my liking."

I kept my gaze fixed on the road as the countryside flashed past. We were driving through Kosovo, on our way to the border with Serbia. Peregrine was sat with her feet up on the dashboard, her laptop resting on her knees. I had given her a disapproving look when she had put her battered sneakers on the new interior of the car, but she had just shot me a sarcastic glance back. Now we were nearing our destination she was filling me in on the intel she had gathered from Catanzaro. She didn't have an exact location for the Doctor we were trying to find, just someone who might know where he was. That someone just happened to be a particularly infamous Serbian gangster known as the 'Iron Maiden'. It was a tenuous link, and I was a little annoyed she hadn't told me this sooner, but then I realised it was probably because she thought I would have left her somewhere first rather than take her into such a dangerous situation.

She was right; when Perry had mentioned the person we had to meet I immediately started running through possible locations I could drop her off at. Unfortunately, none of those locations were far enough away to be completely Peregrine proof. She would find a way to be involved no matter what now.

"Well, please share if you have any better ideas." Her words were slightly obscured by the lollipop she currently had jammed in her mouth. I took a moment to glance at her screen, the blueprints for the nightclub we were heading to were displayed there. She watched me as I scanned the information before looking back out the windscreen.

"Once we're over the border we'll stop and plan this properly." I saw her scowl at me in my peripheral vision.

"I still think striking while we're not completely surrounded by agency operatives is the best idea." I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Ever since the incident on the ferry she had been an argumentative mood with me. I guessed my mistake had made her more confident with me, like it showed I was human too. She was wrong. Whatever had happened back there had been a blip, an anomaly I couldn't explain, I wouldn't let my emotions distract me like that again.

"Peregrine, regardless of how clever you are I have been doing this a lot longer than you. So I think we'll follow my lead on this." My tone held no room for argument. I heard her huff in annoyance as she turned her attention back to her laptop. We continued on in silence, Perry's frustration at me radiating off of her, but I preferred it this way. I didn't want her getting too close to me, especially with so many threats around. I needed to be working at my best.

The Serbian border welcomed us after another hour of steady driving. I slowed and joined the small queue waiting to be checked. Perry and I settled into the now familiar routine of preparing the car for customs. Wordlessly we concealed the laptop and my silenced pistol, and readied our counterfeit passports for inspection. Perry was doing a good job at maintaining her grudge with me; she hadn't looked at me since I shot down her plan. I watched her now as we waited for the Serbian border official to get to our car. She was sat with the camera bag I had given her clutched to her chest, staring pensively out of the window; probably in an effort to avoid eye contact with me.

I had watched her with the camera on the few breaks we had taken on our journey here. I realised I had never seen her using one in her old profession as a newspaper photographer. Her whole demeanor seemed to calm, a quiet focus coming over her whenever she looked through the viewfinder. I found it fascinating to watch her, and had been interested to see she always held her breath before pressing the shutter to steady her hands. Just like a sniper.

The border official had reached our car, I lowered the window and handed my passport over.

"ваш пасош молим." _Your passport please,_ he instructed Perry holding out his hand. I knew she didn't speak Serbian but she got the gist, and handed it over. The official was a confident looking man, someone who revelled in the power he had in his job. I watched him closely as he examined our counterfeit documents.

"сте овде послом?" _Are you here on business?_ He didn't look up as he asked us, I didn't like the way he was lingering on Peregrine's passport.

I kept my voice polite and calm as I answered him smoothly in Serbian, "Да, ја сам новинар и она је мој фотограф." _Yes, I am a journalist and she is my photographer._ The official looked up at me finally, his eyes narrowing slightly at my statement. He leant down to get a better look at Perry, there was something about the way he leered at her that I really didn't like.

"Новинари? Уверите се да припази на свог пријатеља тамо. Сиријци су парцијални да преговарање за њихове приче." _Journalists? Make sure you keep an eye on your friend there. Serbians are partial to bargaining for their stories._ Perry looked at the official blankly, her eyes flicking to me, unaware of his threatening words. I bristled visibly, my lip curling as I gave him the full force of my most piercing stare. He locked eyes with me as he felt me burning him with my gaze. His confident air disappearing almost instantly.

"Ми ћемо бити у реду, хвала." _We'll be fine, thanks._ My voice was quiet, and the official hurriedly handed back our passports, waving us through. I stared straight ahead as I drove over the border, my hands gripping the wheel so hard I was surprised I hadn't broken it. I could feel Peregrine's eyes on me, a nervous look on her face.

"What was all that about?" Her voice broke as she tried to break the tense silence between us.

"Nothing." I answered curtly, then feeling her shift uneasily I breathed out to calm myself. "We'll stop shortly and discuss the plan." I shot a look at her, making sure my expression was softer than before. She relaxed and gave me a small, apologetic smile. After that heated encounter with the border official, I was adamant I didn't want her following me into that nightclub.

…

The base music thumped up through the floor and into my chest. Multiple bodies danced in every bit of space in the packed room, the low lighting and strobe effects obscured my vision as well. I hated places like these, my senses were overload with unnecessary information. Finding and isolating my targets in these environments always proved problematic.

"Celina Petrovic, otherwise known as the 'Iron Maiden' usually arrives at her club with a hefty entourage. She will likely do a circuit of the floor before camping in the VIP area near the back for the rest of the night, meeting other criminals and patrons looking for favours." It felt like a long time since I had last heard my handler's familiar voice in my ear. After a lot of persuading I had convinced Perry to resume her traditional role of assisting me from a distance, rather than accompanying me into the club. It had been a long and arduous conversation, and I was pretty sure she wasn't going to forgive me anytime soon but I didn't care. Celina was an unpredictable and notoriously violent individual; I couldn't have Perry distracting me.

I scanned the room, taking in the exits and possible areas I could find myself trapped. It wasn't a large club only one room with a roped off VIP area at the back, but it was extremely busy. It made for a perfect storm of a cramp, dark space filled with potential collateral damage. I was thankful I wasn't preparing to eliminate her, as even I would have struggled to do it discreetly here. I was stood on a slightly raised platform near the entrance, where the bar was located. I had a good view of the club and there were fewer people around me, giving me chance to assess the place. I wasn't sure if this was down to the dance floor being more popular or just my intimidating appearance. People tended to avoid me unless I was deliberately trying to appear friendly; I liked it that way.

"There's not much in the way of private rooms here." Perry was reading my mind again; I could hear her typing. "The VIP area has two cameras on it. I think we're going to have to take the direct approach with this." She was right, this wasn't a hit, this was an interrogation. Gaining access to the VIP area and Celina was the only way I was going to get the intel we needed.

There was a sudden commotion near the rear of the club and my eyes automatically focused in on it. The floor of dancers parted as a large crowd of people entered from behind a curtain. I noted the location of the hidden doorway as my eyes followed them across the room. It was Celina, surrounded by her heavily armed bodyguards; I counted five of them. There was also a thin, twitchy looking man with thick-rimmed glasses next to her, and a young girl wearing a hoodie and jeans. The group made their way over to the bar not far from my location. I made sure to turn slightly so that Perry could see the group as well.

"Yeah, that's definitely her." I heard her murmur. The 'Iron Maiden', as she liked to be known, didn't suit her name at all. She was a tall, elegant looking woman, with long blonde hair artfully styled. She wore a stylish floor length dress, which looked out of place in this setting. She smiled charmingly at the bartender who appeared very nervous at the appearance of his boss. I quietly moved so I was close enough to hear what was being said to the terrified man.

"Вече Сергеј, верујем да је све како би вечерас?" _Evening Sergei, I trust everything is in order tonight?_ Sergei gave her an uneasy smile back, I watched as she ordered drinks for her entourage. The twitchy guy looked around as if afraid of something, I wasn't sure what to make of him, he didn't belong in this environment. He looked more like an accountant than someone who mixed with Serbian gangsters. I stayed still, my eyes following the group as they left the bar and weaved in amongst the dancers heading towards the VIP area. Celina would stop and talk to someone every now and then.

I took a few steps towards the dance floor as they neared the roped off section at the back of the club, I had a plan but I was unsure whether it would get me noticed in the right way by my target. Celina sat in the middle of the VIP area, staring out over the dance floor, controlling her domain. Her collection of bodyguards positioned themselves around the edge, stopping anyone getting too close. These kinds of people rarely intimidated me, it was always the ones that looked the least threatening that you had to keep an eye on. Speaking of which the thin, nervous man sat to Celina's right. She leant in and whispered something into his ear, he nodded vigorously and got up, leaving her sat with the young girl and the biggest of the bodyguards.

I stepped down off the platform and began making my way steadily towards them. I kept my eyes locked onto them as I weaved through the crowded space. As I watched the young girl took out a laptop and balanced it on her knees, she reminded me of Perry a little with her hoodie and tattered jeans.

"What's she up to?" Peregrine's question sounded in my ear, I knew she was talking to herself rather than to me as usual. I was nearly at the roped off area, I could see the bodyguards near the entrance eyeing me up already. I would have to be careful if I didn't want to start a fight in the packed club. My plan was to pose as a potential client, seeking Celina's help. She was renowned for assisting people when they had nowhere else to turn, or no funds to their name. Very similar to what Perry did online in her spare time I thought, except Celina expected something in return, naturally. Her methods for getting payment were infamously violent and unorthodox, even by gangster's standards. Perry had informed me that Celina knew the Doctor we were after due to her using him for black market organs. Judging by the reason we were looking for him, I had a funny feeling he was acquiring these organs from clones. That was my way in, posing as someone after medical help from her Doctor friend.

I had reached the VIP area, and the two bodyguards in front of me were glaring at me menacingly. I stared back blankly, preparing to give them request for their boss.

"Не прилази." _Don't come any closer._ One of the guards held up his hand, a nasty sneer twisting his mouth. But before I could open my mine to tell him what I wanted, Celina called out from behind them in a high, clear voice.

"Ко је наш пријатељ? Пусти га, он изгледа изгубио." _Who is our friend? Let him in, he looks lost._ I raised an eyebrow at the guard as he ground his teeth in frustration, letting me through.

"Well, well, that was easier than expected." Perry chirped in my ear as I made my way towards the gangster sat watching me with cat like eyes as I approached. I wanted to warn her that it was usually the easiest looking jobs that turned out to be the most dangerous, but I was too close to Celina and her cronies to not draw attention. I gave her a broad smile as I came to stand in front of her. She wouldn't see it didn't quite reach my eyes; no one ever did apart from Perry. She gave me her charming one back, it did reach hers but with a hint of something I couldn't place.

"Hello there, I haven't seen you before." Her English was impeccable, but she had a thick Serbian accent. I raised an eyebrow at her, quizzically.

"How did you know I wasn't Serbian?" Her smiled widened at the sound of my voice.

"I was not sure, but you do not have the air of someone who has lived here." She winked at me and I saw her glance up and down before giving me an appreciative look. I was aware some woman found me attractive; I used it in my favour when the situation required. This might be one of those times I thought as Celina patted the space next to her that her nervous companion had vacated earlier. "Come, I do not bite." She winked at me, and I slowly sat down. The young girl with the laptop glanced up at me briefly before resuming her typing. I noticed now she had dark skin and close cropped hair, I frowned slightly I had seen her somewhere before.

My assessment of her companion was cut short as Celina leant in blocking my view of her. "So what can I help you with handsome." She was conventionally beautiful I noticed, not that these things mattered to me, but I could tell she was used to getting her way with men. I decided to play along and see how far I could get before she got suspicious.

"I'm need of some assistance Miss Petrovic." She tapped me playfully on the arm and I felt her head bodyguard stiffen next to me at the contact. I glanced at him coolly, he was heavyset and very muscular but I was quicker and stronger than I looked so I was in no doubt I could overpower him if need be. It was more the number of bodyguards in such a confined space that bothered me, I would do my best to get this intel peacefully.

"No, call me Celina." I turned my attention back to her, she was pulling a coy face at me. I responded with a customary smile, she laughed and sat back again, crossing her legs suggestively. I heard Perry snort in my ear and for the first time realised she was no longer typing, she was watching.

"Well, we all know what she's after don't we." Her tone was biting and I struggled to suppress my annoyance at her interruption.

"What can I assist you with then Mr-?"

"Rieper, Tobias Rieper." The young girl next to her suddenly looked up as I said my alias and stared at me. I didn't like the way she looked at me, as if she knew me but I couldn't place where I recognised her face. I narrowed my eyes infinitesimally at her, this was very unlike me, I could usually recall someone easily. Celina didn't notice her companion's sudden interest in me and let me continue. "I am coming to you on behalf of someone else. They are in dire need of an organ transplant, but as you are probably used to, they are unable to pay." She nodded, a knowing smile stretching her face.

"Of course. I am well known for helping poor souls like your friend. However, I must stress they will have to pay in other ways for my aid." Her eyes flashed dangerously, the ruthless gangster revealing herself for a split second. I gave her my most charming smile, and I saw her cheeks flush slightly. I suddenly got a vivid image of Perry blushing under my gaze; I shook the thought from my mind.

"Naturally. What would my friend need to provide in exchange for a working liver?" Celina's smile turned cruel.

"As I am sure you are aware Mr Rieper, a business only works as well as its workers. I find myself having a very high turnover of staff, shall we say, and I am always in need of replacing them. Your friend would only have to promise to help me when I call in a favour, in exchange for a new lease of life." She shrugged, taking a confident sip from her drink. "Those are the terms, do you accept on behalf of your friend?"

I nodded, regarding her with calmly. "Yes. I am sure he will fulfil his end of the bargain." Her expression turned steely and she leaned towards me again. "I'm sure he will Mr Rieper. Just so you know if he does try to go back on my terms then there will be nowhere for him to hide. I have friends at the borders, and Olivia here can track anyone online."

My eyes snapped to the girl next to her. Olivia Hall, of course, I knew I had seen her before. She had been working with a shadow client as few years back when attacks on a secret group known as Providence were occurring. She had been covering the attackers tracks and throwing us off the scent. She was looking at me nervously now, she must know who I was due to past events. Why hadn't she alerted Celina?

I must have looked a little shocked as Celina continued as if I was reacting to her. "That's right my handsome friend. There is nowhere I cannot reach, and once I have a deserter…well, we have our ways of dealing with those don't we Gregor?" The large bodyguard next to me cracked his knuckles. I gave him a withering stare as he flexed his unimpressive muscles at me. I wanted to nudge Perry to keep an eye on Hall, but I had too many eyes on me. I resolved to remain cautious around the young hacker, turning back to Celina I gave her a small smile.

"Message received. My friend will uphold his end, now can you help?" She chuckled darkly.

"You insult me Mr Rieper. Of course I can help, I have a Doctor friend who has a skill in finding…unwanted organs." This was it, I needed a name and if possible a location. Perry had gone very quiet her end, I only hoped she was keeping tabs on everything. I gave Celina a pensive look.

"Good, who is this Doctor? My friend is eager to unsure he is receiving only the best for his services." A wolfish grin stretched Celina's face.

"Oh no, I'm not in the habit of handing out information on my friends just like that. I'll need something in return." I raised my eyebrow at her and she ran her tongue over her top lip.

"And what is it you want?" She closed the distance between us and slid a hand up my thigh. Instinctively I wanted to snap her wrist, the physical contact was unnerving to me. But I remained as still as stone, watching as she hummed appreciatively, withdrawing her hand before it reached too high. A low growl came out of nowhere and a small frown creased my forehead as I tried to place it. After a second of confusion I realised it had come from my earpiece, Perry was growling at the Serbian gangster. My mouth twitched dangerously at my handler's unorthodox behaviour.

"I'm sure we can come to some arrangement Tobias. I am a woman with needs after all." I was trying to process how far I could take this to get the intel when I heard a ping coming from Perry's location. Her quick, efficient typing started up instantly and I was momentarily distracted as Celina leered at me.

"I'm sure we can." I answered on autopilot, wondering what Peregrine was doing. The gangster laughed taking a long drag from her drink, Olivia Hall was typing again but I caught her sneaking quick glances at me. What was she doing on that laptop? If only I could get Perry to try and have a look. My handler's voice suddenly broke through my thought processes.

"Shit." The low curse made my senses go into overdrive. Something was wrong. I kept my expression careful as the rest of me scanned the environment and listened for what Perry had found. It felt like years before I heard her let out a low, worried noise. She took a shaky breath in and then croaked.

"47, there's a problem. I think we've got-" The line went dead, cutting her off mid sentence, and I was left alone with a flirty Serbian gangster in a possibly volatile situation.


	12. Chapter 12

Peregrine

Chapter 12

"Shit," I cursed under my breath as I read Diana's message.

 _Perry, they are coming for you._

 _You are in danger._

 _Contact me on this frequency, 124_

 _D_

My laptop had given out an intruding ping when she had responded to my encrypted message. It had taken me a moment to register it was her and then another moment to let her words sink in. They had found us. I looked at my POV screen, 47 was still talking to that Serbian harlot. The wave of jealousy I had felt when she had started flirting with him had been very hard to ignore. I knew it was completely pointless though, he had never shown any interest in anyone, much to my frustration at times.

My nerves were very much on edge now, the idea of being trapped in this unfamiliar environment with agents intent on killing us was not what I had wanted. I knew we should have gone straight to the club instead of waiting a night to plan it. I took a shaky breath in, trying not to reveal my terror as I spoke to my agent.

"47, there's a problem. I think we've got…" I stopped mid sentence as my POV screen went black and the line between me and the assassin went dead. "Company." I finished to myself as the hotel room I was camped in suddenly fell eerily quiet. I strained my hearing as I removed one side of the headphones from my ear. I had a horrible feeling that someone was outside my room. Hastily I tuned into the frequency Diana had provided me and jammed the headphones back on my ears. There was a moment of loud static that made me wince then Diana's familiar voice came through.

"Peregrine, are you there?" She sounded like she was down a tunnel and it crackled consistently, like the signal was only just there.

"Yes, what is going on? I've just lost contact with 47." The nerves were defiantly apparent in my voice now.

"They are there already then. I thought I would be able to contact you sooner but the agency are watching me." I shot a wary look at the door behind me, had that been a creak outside?

"Who's here Diana?" I struggled to hear her as the crackling worsened; I pressed the headphones to my head to hear her better but was very aware that it meant I couldn't listen to any approaching footsteps.

"They've sent a clean up team Perry. They must have cut the signal between you and 47, which means-"

"They know where I am." I finished for her. There was the briefest of pauses before I heard her continue reluctantly.

"Yes. I am so sorry, I wanted to warn you but I haven't been able to reply until now." I slide one of the headphones off my head again, that was definitely a footstep. I reached down slowly keeping my eyes locked on the door and retrieved my rucksack from under the desk I was using.

"It's okay. I need to warn 47, he doesn't know." My stomach was churning as I came to terms with what I was about to do, but I had little choice. If I stayed here, like 47 wanted, we would both end up dead; me a lot quicker but unaware of what was happening I was sure he would soon follow. My mind wasn't playing tricks on me, there was someone on the other side of that door listening. Being careful not to alert whomever it was I whispered urgently to Diana, "If we get out of this I will send you another message. Same place, okay?"

When she answered I could hear fear in her tone, it was really bad if my mentor was scared. "Perry, remember the agents you met in Italy were the scalpels, these people…they're the sledgehammers." I slid my hand into the rucksack and gripped the handle of the pistol 47 had given me.

"Understood." I hissed through gritted teeth. I wouldn't have long once I decided to move; adrenaline began to pump automatically through my veins.

"Good luck Peregrine." Her voice disappeared, replaced with static again. I removed my headphones with my free hand and glanced at the window opposite the door. That was my only way out of here; I knew there was a fire escape outside it, I just hoped I could climb faster than the person waiting on the other side of that door. Tightening my grip on the pistol I drew it out and made sure the safety was off. I did a silent countdown in my head, my heart pounding distractingly loud. _5…4…3…2…1._

I sprang to my feet and launched myself across the room. The door flew open as I reached the window, a man in full tactical gear entered, an aggressive looking machine gun pointed at me. I wasn't too worried about aiming, I just pointed my pistol in his general direction and fired off two shots. It did the job, they hit him in the legs and I used his momentary surprise to shove the window open and fly backwards out of it. I landed on the hard metal fire escape on my back, the wind flying out of my lungs. I didn't take long to recover, the adrenaline was doing its job. I scrambled to my feet ignoring the uncomfortable tugging by my stomach, and flew up the ladder.

The rooftops were my best bet, I wouldn't last five minutes in the street crowded with club goers below. I could hear the man I had shot clanging on the fire escape behind me. I just hoped the two bullets I had planted in his legs would slow him down at least a little. The pistol was still clutched awkwardly in my hand as I pulled myself up one floor, then another. Judging by the increasing racket below, I guessed my attacker was gaining on me. I reached the roof of the hotel and sprinted as fast as I could away from the ladder, skidding behind a large air conditioning unit at the far end.

I lay on the rough asphalt breathing heavily, the pistol clasped against my chest. I heard my attacker's footsteps as he scaled the ladder moments after me. I desperately tried to calm my wildly beating heart, certain he would hear it. I was be no means a fighter, if I tried to engage him directly I would be dead within seconds. My escape downstairs had purely been down to me getting the jump on him, it meant that Diana had hidden her involvement well; they didn't know I was aware of their presence at least. I looked around me to see if there was anything I could use to my advantage.

My eyes were drawn to a fire extinguisher just to the left of me. The roof wasn't huge; there was a sharp drop to my right towards a back alley below. The extinguisher was next to a fire exit where the internal stairs must come out. I formulated a plan and tried to quiet my breathing as my attacker moved slowly across the roof, looking for me. The crunch of the asphalt under his boots was the only indication I had of where he was. I tried not to think too hard about the machine gun he had. I put the safety on my pistol and shoved it into the back of my jeans, I could practically see 47's disapproving look at my choice of location for the weapon, but I didn't exactly have many options.

My plan depended on me being stealthy, so my chances of success weren't the best. I pushed the pessimistic thought to the back of my mind as the man started rounding the air conditioning unit where I was hiding. I slowly lifted myself into a crouch and crept as silently as possible around the unit, keeping my attacker out of view. I locked on to the fire extinguisher and hoped to god I was quick enough to do this. I slid my hand into my pocket and withdrew my lucky coin, holding it close to my chest for a moment. The man was almost on top of me, I balanced the coin on my thumb and flicked it as far as I could away from my hiding place.

It sailed behind him and landed near the edge of roof, his head immediately followed the noise of it impacting with the asphalt. He moved slowly away from me, I inched myself towards the fire extinguisher being careful not to scrap my feet too much on the roof's surface. I reached out as I advanced on it and let my breath out in a rush as I grasped the cool metal. Risking a glance behind me I saw the man had reached my coin and was leaning down to examine it. I didn't hesitate; pulling out the safety pin on the extinguisher I stood up and strode towards the heavily armed man.

He heard my approach and straightened up, the machine gun whipping round to face me. I aimed the nozzle of the extinguisher at his chest and pulled the trigger. A violent jet of water shot out of it hitting my attacker full force. My unexpected assault had obviously taken him by surprise as he staggered backwards. I kept walking towards him, I wasn't sure how much water was in these and I didn't want to think about what would happen if it ran out before I could knock him over. The man's eyes widen slightly as I saw him lose his footing finally, he toppled backwards slipping off the edge of the roof and hurtling towards the alley below.

His body hit the concrete with a dull, sickening thud and I lowered my improvised weapon, my heart still beating in my ears. I daren't look over the edge at my victim, it was easier to pretend that I hadn't just killed a man…again. I dropped the extinguisher with a clang, and clasped my knees. It wasn't over by any means; I still had to warn 47. I was pretty sure they had thought I would be an easy target, so had only sent one to deal with me, my agent was likely to have a lot more people after him.

Something shiny caught my eye near where the man had fallen. It was my coin. I smiled as I retrieved my lucky talisman; it had saved my life. I frowned as I noticed a small, black object next to it. I picked it up and turned it over in my hand; it was a USB stick. My attacker must have lost it when I was shooting pressurised water at him. I stowed it in my pocket, along with the coin and walked over to where I could see the nightclub's adjoining roof.

I had insisted if I had to handle the mission and not be in the field, that I be based as close as possible without actually being in the nightclub. 47 had finally given in and booked me into the hotel next door. It had worked in my favour now, there was only a small gap separating the two buildings easily jumped even by someone with zero athleticism, like me. Even so, I took a run up, it would be just my luck to try and jump it from a standing start and plummet to my death below. I leapt the gap and landed fairly gracefully on the other side.

After going over the blueprints for this place I had a good idea of where things were located. I hurried over to the fire door and breathed a sigh of relief as I saw it was propped open. The stairs inside were dark, and I could hear the thumping base from the club below. With shaking hands I pulled the pistol from the back of my jeans and took the safety off. I had absolutely no idea where the rest of the clean up team were, but the thought of them closing in on 47 pushed me to walk down the stairs and into the building.

I tried to stay as quiet as possible, but with my wounded side and rubbish knee my footsteps still echoed uncomfortably loud in the empty stairwell. The security room was on the second floor so I didn't have far to go. I strained my hearing over my own heart and noisy footsteps, desperately listening for the sound of approaching boots. There was nothing, and I reached the small security room without anymore drama. I was certain it wasn't over though, I pressed my ear against the door holding my pistol ready, although I knew if it came down to a fair gun fight I wouldn't win. I couldn't hear any movement on the other side, so I tried the handle not holding out much hope of it being unlocked. The door swung open easily, I raised my eyebrows at the security room's lack of security. Surely this gangster couldn't be that cocky to think no one would try and break in.

I lowered the pistol in relief as I saw it was also an empty security room. A multitude of screens covered one small wall, graining, de-saturated views of the club and its various satellite rooms. There was a severely out dated computer in the corner, it looked like this place hadn't upgraded in a while. I walked in, being careful not to miss any alarms that may be triggered by my entry. There were none, this woman really was an arrogant bitch. Scanning the monitors I spotted 47 was still sat in the VIP area with Celina, she had inched even closer to him now and I supressed another defensive growl as my eyes narrowed at the scene.

 _Focus Perry, focus._ I chastised myself. Moving my gaze from the main room of the club, I looked for anything suspicious in the service rooms and back corridors. I finally settled on the boiler room underneath the club, and my previously very active heart stopped. I could see a group of men dressed in the same tactical gear as the man who attacked me. They were moving quickly around the boiler room; every so often they would bend down and place something on the floor. I leant in towards the monitor, squinting to see what they were doing. The quality of the video made it hard to see but I was certain the small rectangular objects they were placing were C4.

An icy shiver ran up my spine as I realised they were planning on blowing the nightclub to kingdom come. Sledgehammers indeed, they were going to demolish the building taking 47 and everyone inside with it. We were taught that collateral damage was sometimes unavoidable on a contract, but this seemed wasteful and cruel. My fear at the clean up team swiftly turned to boiling anger. My training kicked in and I scanned the security room looking for a way to stop them. A small smirk appeared on my face as I formulated a plan. It was risky, but wasn't everything in my life nowadays?

I bent over the antique in the corner and began hacking into the archaic security system in the office. If Celina hung out with young hackers like the girl Olivia downstairs you would have thought her cyber security would be better. I was just finishing up when I heard the door open behind me.I froze, my fingers hovering over the keyboard of the dusty computer.

"Who-who are you?" The uncertainty in the man's voice comforted me slightly. He didn't sound like someone who was used to confrontation; I turned my head to see who was standing there. The thin, twitchy looking man who had entered with Celina stood shaking, wide eyed in the doorway. I straightened up from my position bent over the computer and swivelled to face him.

"I'm IT support." I lied smoothly. I used to be crap at lying, but my time around 47 had taught me a lot of things I had never thought I would need to know. The man didn't look convinced however and slowly edged into the room, I kept my eyes locked on him. There was something about him I didn't like, a quickness in his eyes that suggested he wasn't as nervous as he appeared. He circled me, those eyes darting around the room.

"We don't have any IT support." It struck me then that he had a strong American accent, not a hint of Serbian. He had also made no attempt to speak to me in Serbian, like he knew I wasn't from round here. My hackles rose instinctively and I shifted my position to keep a safe distance between the man and me. He pushed his glasses up his nose and squinted at me. "What were you doing on that computer Morgan?" His voice was menacing, a complete switch from his anxious persona before. My blood ran cold. I may not know who he was, but I knew who he was with.

His eyes were hard as flint now, and he was advancing on me, cutting me off from the door. I didn't have time to waste, as much as I wanted to know why someone from Cicada was here, every second counted. I grabbed the ancient keyboard behind me and slammed it into the man's face. A brief flicker of surprise appeared before he fell backwards from the impact. Despite his threatening presence he was still fairly weedy, so for once I was able to overpower my opponent easily. He wasn't knocked out but he was stunned long enough for me to grab my pistol and dash out of the door back onto the stairwell. I slammed the door shut behind me, not sure if that would slow him down; that is if he even intended to pursue me.

Luckily I had set the wheels of my plan in motion, and didn't need the security room anymore. I barrelled a little unceremoniously down the stairs towards the main room of the club. I would have to look into who that man was later, that's is if there was a later. The music's beat increased in volume so I could feel it through my sneakers. I wasn't worried about being heard now, for one the base drowned out any noise my feet could make and I knew where the clean up team were. They didn't intend to engage 47 at all, a wise choice I felt, but I couldn't shake the feeling of nausea at the thought of all those club goers being blown to smithereens. The next part of my plan wasn't going to be popular with 47, but it would get his attention and hopefully save some people in the process. I trusted him to keep an eye on our target, if he hadn't already got the information from her.

I ran through my mental map of the club and shot through the door on the first floor. There was a corridor running along the back of the club where staff, and obviously gangsters, entered and exited the main room. I counted the doorways as I jogged along, the pistol held in my hand. I cautiously opened the third door and found myself exactly where I wanted to be. I was on a raised platform further along than the bar; in front of me was the DJ moving his head in time with the music, oblivious to the new arrival on his stage. I stayed in the shadows for a moment, scanning the crowds of unaware patrons. My eyes settled on the familiar outline of 47 sat not far from me in the corner of the room. Celina was leaning into him and laughing; good at least they were still on good terms. My stomach clenched uncomfortably at the closeness of them. The large bodyguard Gregor was eyeing 47 menacingly; I hoped my next actions wouldn't put my agent in too much risk.

Taking a deep breath I gripped the pistol tighter, my hands clammy from nerves as I stepped purposefully out into the throbbing lights and aimed it at the ceiling. The three shots I fired off cut through the repetitive base music playing, the DJ whirled around, sheer panic written on his face, bringing the music to an abrupt halt. I risked a glance at the VIP area as the crowded dance floor erupted into screams. 47's blue eyes were visible even from this distance as they burned into me. Flashing him an apologetic smile I mouthed, _Get out,_ the mass of people below me began to surge towards the exit. Good, at least that would minimise the collateral damage if I fucked up.

I jumped as the unmistakable whistle of a bullet passed by my ear. I heard it thud as it hit the wall behind me and locked eyes with 47 as he wrestled one of Celina's bodyguards to the ground. I was sure if we made it out of this I wouldn't hear the end of this, he had saved me from a bullet three times now. I shot him a parting look as I turned on my heels and ran back down the corridor, he was busy now dealing with Celina's entourage. I had no doubt he would be fine but I was pretty sure he wouldn't fair so well against a ton of C4.

I dashed down the stairs towards the basement, shoving the pistol safely in my jeans and pulling out my phone. Now we would see if I had managed to do a good job of hacking into the club's security with that decrepit excuse for a computer upstairs. I could still hear the screams and shouts from the club above as I slowed my pace, making sure not to alert the clean up team of my approach. From the blueprints I knew the basement had a boiler room and a room for any electrical maintenance the club needed. There was a circuit board in this second room and I made a beeline for it. I didn't know how long I had, for all I knew they had already set the explosive to go off. I flipped open the hatch on the board and located the trip switch. Deftly I disabled it, allowing my plan to work.

I crept as soundlessly as I could towards the boiler room. There was a raised walkway leading down into the room where a large industrial boiler sat in the middle of the concrete floor. I silently slipped in and crouched down on the walkway, looking down on the team working below. They were nearly done, the floor around the boiler was a mass of wires. There were a lot of explosives here, enough to form a small crater when they went off alone. I knew the explosion would cause a chain reaction with the ancient boiler though, igniting the gas inside the building when they went off.

Spying what I wanted to find I crawled over to a mass of cables attached to the wall near the door, they led to the room I had just been in, supplying the boiler room with electricity. I clicked an app on my phone and accessed the club's system. My screen turned green as the program I had planted in the computer upstairs kicked in. I grinned manically as a grid of the building's electrics popped up. Bingo!

I located one of the cables next to me and isolated it from the grid, cutting the deadly voltage from it. Then rising from my crouch as slow as possible so I didn't draw attention to myself, I grasped the cable where it connected to a splitter box and yanked it free. The cable came away surprisingly easy, this place was falling apart. I gently lowered it past the walkway I was on and left it dangling on the floor below. The clean up team were gather around the boiler, their backs to me. I was well aware if they turned now I would be in plain sight and instantly dead.

"There's a commotion upstairs by the sound of it." One of them murmured in a low voice. I slunk back towards the door to the corridor, listening as I went.

"The target is still in position, I can see him on my monitor." I froze, had they seen me? I panicked for a second before their blasé conversation continued.

"I heard gunshots from the hotel earlier so target two is down. Not surprised, she was just a handler." I gritted my teeth. They thought I was dead. At least that answered my question as to whether they knew I was here, but the confidence at my easy elimination angered me.

"We're all set here. Set the time?" I quickly resumed my exit from the room, crouching now in the concrete corridor outside. The door was still open so I could see my quarry. I flicked through the settings on my app and located the sprinkler system. Slowly I stood up and glared down at the clean up team below, the arrogant bastards!

I pressed a button and the sprinklers in the building activated. A torrent of cold water rushed down on my head and I saw the men below look up in alarm, their guns raised. A nasty smiled twisted my face as I watched their clothes begin to soak through, the floor turning into a steadily growing puddle. Swiping the phone with my thumb again, I kept my eyes on the men who had been planning to kill 47 and I, along with a multitude of innocents.

"Just a handler eh?" I hissed as I pushed down on my phone screen, setting the electrics in the building to overcharge. The trip switch remained disabled as I heard the pop and bang of cables exploding, sparks flew as a few lights blew around me. There was a strange fizzing sound and then an almighty flash as the cable I had lowered came roaring back to life. I tensed as I waited to see if I had misjudged, but the deadly explosion never came. The water from the sprinklers had dampened the C4 and like good trained operatives the clean up team had set an anti surge for their own explosives.

My overload of the electrics had cut the line to the detonator completely. I leant into the room careful not to put my feet on the wet metal walkway and watched as the clean up crew were electrocuted in front of me. I gripped the doorway as their twitching bodies finally stilled and I collapsed on the hard floor. The disturbing smell of cooking flesh filled my nostrils, and I tried not to think too hard about my rising body count. I closed my eyes, letting myself relax for a moment. It was only a few seconds before they flew open again at the sound of approaching footsteps. They were coming at a run and I pushed myself upright again, reaching a hand behind me to grab the pistol. Before I could draw it 47 skidded round the corner and saw me. I laughed in relief and watched him as he walked towards me.

I noticed with a jolt of alarm that he had an unconscious Celina slung over his shoulder and was bleeding from where someone had punched his eye. An ugly bruise was already forming, and I flicked a quizzical glance at his hostage. The assassin glared down at me, his expression humourless. It was strangely juxta posed with my giddy mood, and before he could ask me what the hell I had been doing, or whatever condescending quip he had planned I pointed into the boiler room.

I watched with a sense of satisfaction as his eyes widened at the scene of carnage below. I knew he would immediately recognise them as an agency clean up team. He looked back at me, his face less livid but still very much pissed off.

"Good work." The curt statement was all he said before turning on his heels and heading out the way he had come. I scowled at his retreating back, the continuing downpour making my fringe stick in my eyes. Rubbing the hair aggressively out of my face, I stomped after him. Next time I'd leave him to get blown up I resolved, but I knew that was an extremely bad lie.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/U: Hey all, a quick disclaimer for this next chapter. There is some graphic violence so if you're a little squeamish I would recommend skipping the end. Not going to change the rating as this is as bad as it's going to get, just thought I would give you all a heads up. Anyway, rate, review and enjoy! :)**

Chapter 13

I played through the footage again. It was really bad quality, but it was still clear enough to see the man I had knocked out in the security room get up and type something into the computer I had used before leaving. Who was he? He was obviously with Cicada; only they knew my real name and what I looked like. A cold shiver ran up my spine at the thought of them watching us now. Hurriedly I shut my laptop and looked behind me. I was getting myself in a state, whatever he had been doing there he hadn't been trying to stop us. After all we had escaped with Celina and no one had batted an eyelid in the chaos I had created. If Cicada had been meaning to stop us we wouldn't have walked out so easily.

The room I was in was getting light; I was in an office of sorts located in a derelict warehouse on the outskirts of the town we had just been in. 47 had driven very aggressively as he navigated us here, I had sat quietly in the passenger seat glancing at him every now and then. He was angry with me, that much was obvious, but I had done the right thing. He hadn't been aware of the clean up team's presence, I had saved him. Maybe that was why he was mad. We had eventually arrived at the creepy looking building. I had watched, a little uncertain as 47 retrieved the unconscious Celina from the boot of the Audi and marched inside.

I had decided to give him a wide berth for a while, so had gone in search of a quiet place to go over what I had found in the night club. The warehouse looked like it had previously been used as an abattoir, there were pens on the ground floor where animals could be kept and there was the unmistakable smell of stale blood in the air. I wrinkled my nose at the stench as I climbed the rickety stairs to the rooms above. There were a number of old offices where the admin had been done, some were empty, some looked like they had just been abandoned. Dusty filing cabinets and desks filled with clutter giving the already foreboding building an even scarier feel. I had chosen a room near the end of the corridor with a solitary desk and chair in the middle. It had one of the few windows that hadn't been blocked up, so was dimly lit by moonlight. I had sat down in the office chair and placed the laptop I had managed to retrieve from my hotel room on the grotty desk.

I had spent the last few hours going over the footage from the club CCTV cameras and examining the mystery USB I had found on the roof. What I had found hadn't done anything to settle my nerves, I still had no idea who the Cicada man was and the USB had yielded some disturbing information about the clean up teams intentions. I glanced at my watch and saw it was indeed morning, the dawn light illuminating just how neglected this building was. I rubbed my eyes, it had been a good 24 hours since I had last slept but this didn't feel like the best place to let my guard down. I hadn't seen 47 since we had got here, and for some reason I didn't feel brave enough to go looking for him.

Opening my laptop again I accessed my vigilante site on the deep web. I had promised Diana I would let her know if we made it out alive and was conscious I hadn't told her sooner. Quickly I left an encrypted message for her ensuring her we were both still alive and I would get in contact once we knew where we were going. It was hard to say if my last message had helped the agency track us, but I was sure it hadn't. There must have been something else that tipped them off to where we were going. If I could access the ICA system on a secure terminal I could find out who had given the order for the clean up team. However, this was not the place to do this, I could be easily tracked from here if they were looking for my login.

"Perry." I was so engrossed in my thoughts, that 47's voice made me jump two feet in the air.

"Jesus." I hissed as I turned to look at the assassin stood in the doorway. His face was half in shadow and I didn't like the blank expression he wore. His cold, blue eyes regarded me for a second before he stepped further into the room, letting the pale morning light reveal more of his face.

"I didn't mean to startle you." His voice was flat and unusually distant. I frowned as I finally took in his appearance. His suit jacket was gone, his shirtsleeves rolled up to the elbow. He had loosened his red tie and undone the top buttons of his shirt, but it wasn't these things I was frowning at. There were spots of blood on his front and he was wearing his black leather gloves. I fixed him with an expectant stare, he ignored my pointed look and continued speaking in that oddly distant way he had before. "I have to go get something Peregrine. Can you promise me you'll stay here and not go anywhere in the building?"

My frown deepened, he was hiding something from me and in our current situation I didn't appreciate the secrecy. "Why? Where are you going?"

He narrowed his eyes at me; he wasn't in the mood for my questions. "Just do as I say for once Perry." I shrank back at his unfriendly tone, he wasn't exactly one for being cheerful but there was an edge to his words that made my muscles clench in fear.

"Okay." I replied in a small voice, my weariness making it harder to protest. He nodded, satisfied at my answer and left the room briskly. His feet making little, to no noise on the bare concrete as his figure receded into the shadows. I stared dumbly at the space where he had been for a few moments, until I heard the sound of a car starting and driving into the distance. What was he doing? Where was Celina?

I realised I hadn't seen or heard from either of them since we had arrived and I had slunk up here to use my laptop. I sat still, struggling between my promise I had made and my nagging curiosity at what was going on. It only took a moment for me to choose what to do. I stood up and slowly crept out of the office I had literally just said I would stay in. Even though I had heard him leave in the Audi, I still tried to stay silent. I was his handler after all, I knew not to take everything he said at face value. He may well have driven off knowing I was listening and had walked back leaving the car somewhere. The trained, intelligent part of me told me that, the emotional, stupid part of me said to trust him.

The dawn light did nothing to improve the look of the creepy warehouse. It was now all too evident as I reached the ground floor that it had been an abattoir in its past. There was a permanent stain in the concrete floor, the colour of rust. I stood in amongst the empty animal pens, unsure of where to go. I was pretty sure when we had arrived 47 had disappeared into the back of the building with our hostage. Glancing that way now I saw nothing but black, the boarded up windows let none of the growing light through. Gingerly I walked past the livestock enclosures and into the main part of the old abattoir.

The smell of stale blood grew stronger as I advanced into the shadows. This part of the building was vastly more disturbing; there was a long narrow walkway where the animals were herded down. It was flanked by high metal walls with periodic holes in, I walked on the other side of these and noted how the holes were perfect to fit a cattle prod through. The walkway led to another room that truly was the stuff of nightmares. Dozens of meat hooks hung from the ceiling, here the smell was almost unbearable. I walked slowly though the rusty, ominously stained hooks, a shiver ran up my spine at the thought of what this room would have been like in its prime. At the end of the room was a number of large, walk-in refrigerators, I made my way towards them.

I wasn't dumb; I had a good idea of what he was doing with Celina. The mere fact that he had taken her with us had told me she hadn't given him the intel we needed to continue. I knew she was probably being kept in one of those refrigerators rooms, my suspicion proving right as the smell of blood became stronger, and fresher. I paused, unsure whether I really wanted to go any further. 47 had wanted me to stay in the office, he had made a point of telling me so, but I had a right to know how he was getting the information out of our hostage.

All of the storage units were shut except one; I could see a harsh fluorescent light leaking through the gap created by the door being left slightly ajar. I glanced over my shoulder still not entirely convinced 47 had indeed left the area. The awful slaughter room was quiet except for my steady breathing, but that really meant nothing when it came to my agent. I crept to the heavy metal door and put my head into the room beyond.

The bile rose in my throat instantly. Celina was bound to a chair in the centre of the room, her head was bowed so I was unsure if she was conscious, but to be honest judging by the state she was in I truly hoped she wasn't. Her hands were tied to the arms of the chair, her dress was torn slightly but largely intact. It was bunched up around her thighs, and I swallowed the bile as I looked at her legs. They were loose but there was a good reason, she wasn't going anywhere fast. Her knees were dramatically swollen and had turned a very familiar colour; he had broken both of them.

My knee twinged in sympathy at the sight of the wounds as I slipped in quietly. Celina didn't stir, so I edged forward my hands shaking slightly. Closer in I could see a number of her fingers were bent at an odd angle too, with a shiver I realised he had dislocated them. Her long, blonde hair was covering her face; it was matted and dirty. I watched as her back rose and fell, it was laboured and I still wasn't 100% sure she was out for the count. Tearing my eyes away from the beaten woman I scanned the walk-in refrigerator. There was a single light in the room setup near the centre, so it was shining straight at Celina. The edges of the room were in shadow, so she wouldn't be able to see 47 until he was right next to her. There was a table near the door and a chair next to it swivelled to face Celina. I could see his suit jacket resting on the back of it, there was a hammer placed on the table.

The woman suddenly took a shuddering breath in, her body snapping upright. She stared at me with wide, wild eyes, terror etched in every line of her face. I probably looked just as terrified as the gangster struggled against her bonds in vain. I watched as she twisted her ruined hands against the wire binding her to the chair, I gritted my teeth as it dug into her flesh, carving ragged lines dangerously close to her wrists. Her efforts slowed as she registered who was stood in front of her, confusion clouding her face. There was a nasty bruise forming on one eye and her lip was cracked and bleeding. It looked like 47 hadn't held back in demonstrating just how deadly he could be unarmed.

"Who-who are you?" Her voice no longer held any of the confidence it had in her nightclub. I was frozen; I didn't know what to do, should I answer her? I wasn't exactly drilled in how to talk to a tortured hostage. In the end I opted for not revealing too much.

"I'm no one." I replied in a low voice, my body was half turned towards the door. I wasn't sure I should be here anymore, but something kept my feet rooted where they were. Celina frowned, she swallowed noisily, the cut on her lip oozing more blood.

"Please, can you help me?" The desperate tone in her voice made me waiver. Something about a proud, powerful person begging a stranger for help made me think she had gone through hell. I didn't like to see suffering but she was there for a reason, she needed to give us the intel on the Doctor. I turned my body to face her, my back to the door. I would have a go at playing good cop and see where that got us.

"I can, if you tell me about your Doctor friend." The hope that had briefly ignited in her eyes faded at my request. A sneer twisted her broken lips and I saw her pull against her bonds again, the cuts in her hands deepening.

"You're with him aren't you? Well I'll tell you what I told him, јеби се." I knew enough Serbian to tell that was an insult. I shrugged at her, the flash of her personality making it easy to ignore the horrendous wounds that had been inflicted on her.

"Suit yourself, but I could end this for you now if you tell me." She spat a gob of spit and blood on the floor.

"What is this?" She laughed nastily, "You're the good cop yeah? Sent in to offer me an olive branch so I spill and then you kill me anyway?" I gave her a small smirk, I could see why 47 had got to the point of needing to break her bones, she was feisty.

"Some and some. One's thing for sure, I won't kill you if you tell me. Not so sure about my partner." A flicker of fear passed behind her eyes; for all the bravado she was definitely scared of 47. I didn't blame her.

"I-I can't tell you." I took a step towards her, my brow creasing in confusion.

"Is it worth your life?" She looked down at her legs, her eyes glistening with tears as she stared at her decimated knees.

"There are worse things people can do to me." Her voice was small and afraid again. I was suddenly struck with a sense of foreboding at the power of the people behind this conspiracy. A woman was prepared to die rather than face their wrath if she blabbed. I was now a few feet from her and I lowered myself so my face was level with hers.

"Why are you afraid Celina?" She locked eyes with me, the tears spilling over to dribble down her cheeks. I could see she was tired, 47 probably hadn't let her rest at all until now. She swallowed; my eyes were drawn to the ugly purple and red marks on her knees where the blood was pooling under her skin.

"Please, I won't talk. I can't…just end this." I straightened up slowly, staring down sadly at the broken woman begging for death. I wasn't sure how we were going to get this information, we needed it but she was determined. I let out a sigh and decided to leave her to her fate, 47 would be back soon and I didn't feel like letting him find me down here. I turned towards the door and stopped dead in my tracks.

The harsh outline of 47 was silhouetted in the now wide-open doorway. An icy hand gripped my heart as I stared at him, frozen mid walk. His arms were folded across his chest as he glared at me with frosty eyes. We remained that way, statuesque, until 47 unfolded his arms and summoned me in a low, menacing voice.

"Peregrine, come here." It took a second for me to get my legs working again; my heart was pounding in my chest as I advanced on the very angry assassin. He waited for me to stop a few feet from him then continued in the same flat, dangerous tone. "What are you doing?" The condescending way in which he spoke to me riled me no end, my fear was quickly washed away by a frustrated anger at the man in front of me. I had saved him, and I had found the lead to this Doctor.

"I think I have a right to know what she says 47." My eyes burned with determination, and I forced myself to hold his gaze. I saw his jaw tighten at my rebellion.

"I work alone, it's bad enough I have to drag you around anyway. I don't need you interfering in my interrogation as well." My anger flared horribly, and I clenched my hands into tight fists at my side.

"No. I know I went against you last night but it's a bloody good job I did. I saved you 47, and I was the one who started this whole thing. So stop treating me like I'm a liability, I know what I'm doing." His eyes narrowed at me but the adrenaline made me brave and I glared right back. There was a moment of silence, the tense atmosphere thick between us. Finally, he let out a long sigh and hissed at me through gritted teeth.

"Fine. But stay out of sight." I continued to glare at him as he moved past me, done with the argument. This wasn't over, we were in a dangerous, unpredictable situation, the last thing I needed was for him to not trust me around him. I resolved to continue this discussion later, but for now I had won.

Celina hadn't react to our heated debate at all; she was bent over again sobbing softly into her lap. I was instantly nervous about being in the room, even after my victory. 47 had moved over to the table and was placing some items next to the hammer. He glanced up at me standing near the door and pointed towards the darkened corner behind the table. I didn't protest this time, walking quickly over to the place he was indicating and leaning against the rusting metal walls of the walk-in. I could see everything clearly from this location but I knew from the placement of the light I would be invisible to Celina now. A ghost in the corner.

I watched silently as 47 resumed placing the instruments on the table, he added a pair of pliers, a scalpel and a bottle of hydrochloric acid. I raised my eyebrows at the last one, where the bloody hell had he got that? His expression was blank as he picked up the pliers and walked over to the restrained woman in the centre of the room. Celina looked up and let out a whimper as she saw him stood over her. From this angle I could only see the assassin's back, but I had a good idea of the deadly expression he was wearing at the moment.

"Are you ready to talk?" He asked in his low, monotone. There were still tears running tracks down her face, her mascara was forming dark lines on her cheeks, she looked a mess.

"I told you, they'll know I talked. You haven't a clue what these people will do if they find out I squealed." 47 shifted ever so slightly, adjusting his grip on the pliers in his hand.

"You're only prolonging your pain Celina. It doesn't matter what these people can do, it's me that has you right now." She glared up at 47, that arrogant defiance still there.

"Just kill me already, копиле." She spat the last part at him in Serbian. He didn't flinch just quietly moved towards her, grasping one of her hands with an iron grip. A look of panicked terror came over Celina as she caught sight of the pliers in his hand. She began to struggle against his grasp, but it was a futile effort, she wasn't going anywhere. He gripped the end of one of her fingernails with the instrument and levelled his gaze at her.

"Who is the Doctor you use to get black market organs from?" She was shaking her head wildly from side to side, a strange keening noise coming from her. 47 slowly began to pull the pliers towards him, holding Celina's hand firmly in place. Her keening grew in volume as the nail pulled on the sensitive skin of her finger. She continued to shake her head, her eyes screwed shut in pain. 47 continued to slowly pull the nail until Celina's cries became almost deafening, then he stopped. She sobbed loudly and stared up at him with wet eyes.

"Please…don't." He didn't move, his tall frame casting a long shadow over the woman in front of him.

"The name, Celina." He said slowly and calmly, like he was just talking to a particularly troublesome child not a grown woman he was torturing. She screwed her eyes up again, her sobs turning into loud noisy howls of despair. With one quick, deft movement 47 yanked the pliers towards him, ripping the nail from her finger. Her scream ricocheted of the walls of the walk-in, I resisted the urge to plug my ears with my hands. The sound was horrific, it grated through me like nails on a blackboard. The assassin watched her as she made a choked, gargling sound, her eyes still shut tight.

He casually dropped the nail he had just extracted into her lap and she slowly opened her eyes and stared down at it. I could see she was avoiding looking at her finger, and I watched quietly as blood started to drip from the raw wound. I realised suddenly I had been holding my breath, and let it our in a rush as 47 placed his pliers on her ring finger. This one he had previously dislocated and I could see the dread in Celina's eyes as she registered what was about to happen.

"The name, and I will stop this." She stared at the pliers gripping her nail and started to sob in between trying to catch her breath. It created a weird staccato sound as he began to slowly pull the instrument towards him again. This time the added pain of him pulling her dislocated finger made Celina scream instantly. She kicked her legs despite her broken knees trying to get away from her torturer.

"Please no, stop please." He didn't stop this time however, he brought the pliers closer and closer until I couldn't hear myself think over Celina's screams, then he jerked his hand back once more and ripped the second nail from his victim. She collapsed, her head resting in her lap as she cried heart-wrenching sobs. The woman we had found in the club was a distant memory, all that was left was a whimpering, snivelling mess tied to a chair. I felt a stinging pain and looked down at my hands, I had dug my own nails deep into the fleshy pads of my palms. 47 let go of her hand and grabbed a fist full of her hair; he yanked her head back roughly so he could see her face. He made her watch as he dropped the nail in her lap next to the first one.

My body was rigid, a cold primal fear had overtaken me and I was staying as invisible as possible. The 47 I knew had gone; in his place was a dangerous, wild animal that could turn on me at any moment. Doing my job, I had seen him kill multiple times, sometimes in very brutal ways, but I had never seen him prolong agony they way he was with Celina. I had never felt as afraid of my agent as I did trapped in this tiny metal room with him now.

I remained where I was unable to move or look away, desperately wanting to do both. I could see why he had wanted me to stay out of this now, this was no place for me. Even with everything I had done, I still knew it would be a dark day indeed when I was able to stomach what he was doing now, let alone do it myself. Everyone had their limits.

He extracted two more nails before Celina finally cracked. She broke down and wailed in a high-pitched voice. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you." 47 took a step back releasing her hand, the small pile of fingernails nestled in the folds of her dress still. He stood on the edge of the circle of light staring at her like she was a mildly interesting painting. She kept her head down as she spoke in a wavering voice. "His name is Dr Henric Constantin."

Considering she had lasted two broken knees, several dislocated fingers and endured having her nails ripped off; Celina had been a pretty tough cookie. I wanted it to be over now, not only for her but also for my nerves and aching hands. However, 47 had other ideas. He walked back to the table, placing the bloody pliers carefully next to the hammer. His eyes flicked briefly to me, and a stab of fear shot through my chest. There was a momentary flicker of surprise at my reaction to him, before the stone mask was back and he picked up the scalpel and the bottle of acid. My eyes widened as he returned to the remnants of Celina.

"Very good. Now where can I find him?" She looked at him then, a weary, despairing look.

"I told you his name, you only asked for his name!" Celina's voice cracked as she pleaded with 47. The assassin grabbed her hair again and forced her head back against the chair. Her face was tilted straight up looking into his cold, blue eyes.

"A name only gets me so far. You've started, you might as well finish." Celina made a choking sound as he restricted her airway with the unnatural position on her head.

"No, please no more." He yanked on her hair harshly.

"Then tell me where to find him." Celina kicked out with one of her damaged legs, giving a yelp of pain as she did so.

"Ahhhhhh, јеби се!" She screamed in anger, straining against 47's grip on her hair. Without hesitating he produced the scalpel and pinched one of her eyelids, lifting it off her eye. I knew what was coming and I didn't want to see. I turned my head quickly away, the bile rising in my throat once more. Celina's screams this time reached a fever pitch; I had never heard a human sound like it. I clamped one of my bloodied hands over my mouth, trying to keep from retching.

The ear splitting sound ended suddenly, the resulting quiet more disturbing in some ways. I turned my head slightly, risking a glance at the grisly scene. 47 was still holding Celina's head upright, but now one of her eyes was shut and the other was fixed open in a macabre stare. The eye looked unusually wide without its eyelid. Blood streamed down her face, it looked like crimson tears. I had to stop looking then as my stomach convulsed.

"Where can I find him Celina? Or do you want to lose your eye altogether?" I heard her whimper and then shoot a string of profanities in Serbian at 47. I silently prayed for her just to tell him what he wanted, to end her suffering. I knew how this was going to end, even if she didn't. He didn't give her another chance, the sound of him unscrewing a bottle sent a shiver straight up my spine. He was going to blind her.

I didn't even attempt to look this time; I screwed my eyes tight shut and waited for the screams. I was pretty sure I would be hearing those cries of pain and despair in my sleep for a very long time. There was a distinct hissing noise accompanying it this time, and with a shudder I realised that it was the hydrochloric acid eating away at her eyeball. Again, the animalistic screams cut off suddenly and died to a steady whimper. My neck was starting to hurt from being turned this way but I was determined I wasn't watching anymore. Almost so quiet I didn't catch it, Celina whispered, "He works in the hospital in Novi Sad, under the alias Dr Petre Vasile."

"Thank you Celina." I could almost feel her relax; she had given everything she had. There was nothing else to tell, and 47 knew it. I heard his footsteps as he approached where I was, I remained turned away, my eyes shut. He placed the bottle and scalpel back down and after a brief pause walked back to the chair. It only took a few seconds before I heard the familiar crack as he broke her neck. Putting her out of her misery and killing her instantly.

…

I wasn't sure how long I stayed in that position in the corner of the walk-in, but it felt like hours before I felt a hand touch my shoulder tentatively. My body immediately switched to fight mode, and I whirled round my hands lashing out at my assailant. 47 took a step back, easily evading my wildly swinging arms. I expected a look of condescending anger, a comment of ' _see, I told you should have stayed out of this'_ , instead I was faced with a look of concern.

"Perry, we need to move. We can't stay here." The room behind him was empty; he must have cleared the scene while I was stood shell-shocked in the corner. There was no sign of Celina, and my stomach did an uncomfortable flip as I thought about what he might have done with her. He had changed into a clean shirt, his suit jacket back on. I was still tensed to attack him, although I wasn't sure why I thought I had a chance. As I stared at him wide eyed with terror, his look of concern deepened. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" His bewildered confusion at my reaction diffused some of the fear I was currently feeling. Beneath the stoic, slightly annoyed expression I could see the vague impression of a lost puppy. He didn't know what to do.

"I-I'm fine. It's just…I need some time to get over what I just saw." He frowned, puzzlement clear on his face.

"Why?" I relaxed my stance a little.

"You just tortured and blinded a woman 47. I'm a little freaked out right now." He blinked at me, his blue eyes never leaving me. My hands started to feel clammy as I became nervous under his gaze.

"Are you afraid of me?" He sounded worried, I had never heard him so unsure. I nodded quickly, my mouth set in a firm line. He looked down then, his eyebrows pulling up in apprehension. I could almost see him thinking through how to handle me. Finally he levelled his gaze back up at me, his blue eyes the gentlest I had ever seen them. "I won't hurt you Morgan. It's okay." The softness of his voice was enough to unfreeze my limbs from their petrified state. I stood a few feet from him, my nerves still a little twitchy from what I had witnessed but no longer screaming at me to run or fight the assassin.

"I don't think I'll ask to be in the room when you do that again thank you." I mumbled, one of his eyebrows quirked upwards, genuine interest written on his face.

"Why does that scare you so much when me killing doesn't?" I blinked at him a few times, unsure myself why it affected me.

"I guess, seeing you torture someone makes me think you enjoy it in someway." 47 tilted his head to one side.

"I don't enjoy it. It doesn't bother me, but it's just what I do. We needed the intel and I got it." His simple explanation took me aback, he didn't revel in the pain and death he caused, on the contrary he was completely indifferent to it. For the first time I realised he did this simply because he knew nothing else, it was what he had been made to do. I nodded slowly.

"I see." I said pensively. He raised both eyebrows this time.

"Do you Perry? Remember, we aren't heroes. We do what we are paid to do, I think sometimes you forget that." With that he reached his arm towards me, carefully watching my face for any sign of fear. I didn't flinch this time, I let his large hand rest on my arm as he gave me the full force of his cool stare. "Now we really need to go. Get your things and meet me at the car." He let go, a tingling sensation left where his hand had been. I waited a moment after he left the room, gathering my thoughts. I wasn't likely to forget what I had seen in a hurry, but he was right, he had completed the objective, simple as that.

Rubbing my weary eyes I walked out of that nightmarish room, the smell of blood ingrained in my memory. My thoughts drifted to a dark place and I wondered if every one _really_ had their limits; and if so, where were 47's.


	14. Chapter 14

47

Chapter 14

I was utterly conflicted. There was a constant war raging inside my head, and I didn't like the commotion it was causing. On the one hand, I resented having my handler with me in the field; she caused endless distractions and I wanted nothing more than for her to truly see how dangerous it could be. On the other, I never wanted her to look at me the way she had done in that room ever again. The unveiled terror in her eyes had affected me in a worrying way. I had been in the middle of an interrogation, and all I had wanted to do was simply stop and reassure her that she was safe.

I huffed quietly in annoyance as I drove quickly down the highway. There was very little traffic in this part of Serbia, it left my mind free to wander to uncomfortable places. Peregrine was asleep in the passenger seat, her body tilted away from me, her head resting against the window. I listened to her soft snoring for a minute, trying to find some meaning to my thoughts in the sound. She had stayed fixed in the corner of that room for a good hour while I had cleaned up around her. I had been worried she had hurt herself in some way, but her violent reaction when I had tried to break her out of her stupor had dispelled any fears of that. I was used to people looking at me like I was a monster, so why did this girl doing it affect me so much?

We were reaching the outskirts of the city of Novi Sad. Residential houses clung together in clusters in amongst the farms and the beginnings of industrial units. It was late afternoon now, I had been driving all day. I would need to find a good place to stop so I could recharge, I had reached the limit of my energy having not slept in 48 hours now. Perry shifted in her sleep as if mocking my weariness. It had taken her a while to slip into oblivion, her trust in me had been damaged somehow. It had proven what I had always thought, she really didn't understand who I was, or she pretended I was something I wasn't. I was a monster, I had come to accept that after years of observing 'normal' people, and the last thing the world needed was more of me. It was the reason I was embarking on this foolhardy investigation, some sort of misguided moral compass.

I rubbed my face as the houses started to outnumber the farms, a sign pointed me towards a motel coming up. My eyelids felt heavy, I needed to stop. I pulled into the motel car park, it was a modest little building but it looked safe enough. There weren't many cars so it was relatively empty, it would make spotting suspicious activity easier. I left Perry in the car while I checked in, an elderly lady smiled warmly at me as she handed me a room key, I returned it, it seemed to satisfy her. I could mimic people's emotions to blend in, but understanding them was a different thing altogether. Emotions clouded judgement, they were a hazard to be avoided.

Returning to the car I found Perry still fast asleep in her seat. I dithered for a moment by the car, unsure whether she would appreciate me picking her up in her current mood. It didn't take long for me to conclude the risk of leaving her asleep in a low security location was too high, I leant across the driver's seat and lifted her easily into my arms. I had held this girl more times than anyone else, the weight and feel of her in my arms was becoming too familiar to me.

Locking the car, I walk us to our room. Perry still didn't stir from her sleep; she must have been exhausted. I carefully opened the door to the small room I had bought, and shut it quietly behind me. It would be easier if she stayed asleep, it would give me a chance to rest without worrying about her wandering off. The woman had been apologetic when checking me in, stating there were only double rooms left. It hadn't bothered me until this moment. Gently I lowered Perry onto the dated bedspread, I noticed she had curled her hand around my tie whilst I had been carrying her. I prised her fingers open, extracting the red material from between them. Once freed, I straightened up and regarded my sleeping handler for a moment.

I was beginning to get frustrated at myself, I had promised after our little mishap on the ferry I would distance myself from her and I had been doing a good job of it. But she had managed to worm her way back into that part of me I didn't understand. The same part that had learned to care for the small lab animals I had found when I was a child, the part that had formed an affection for my old handler, Diana. The part I knew made me weak.

I scanned the small motel room, there wasn't much in the way of furniture apart from a small wooden chair in the corner and the double bed. I stared at the empty space next to Peregrine, she was balled up now, her head almost tucked into her chest. I needed to rest, it was imperative to get my strength back up. The wooden chair wasn't going to be an option, with a heavy sigh I removed my suit jacket, placing it on the rickety chair and laid my pistol on the bedside table nearest the empty side of the bed. Checking the door and windows were secure I slipped my tie and shoes off, and took the space next to Perry on the bed.

I propped myself up so I was nearly in a sitting position and rested my hands on my stomach. Giving my handler a quick glance, she stilled hadn't moved, I leant my head back against the wooden headboard and closed my eyes. The sound of Perry's steady breathing sending me to sleep in moments.

…

I jolted awake a few hours later. My eyes darted around the room, looking for signs of danger. Once I had established the room was still secure, my eyes flicked down to my stomach where along with my own hands, still clasped together, there was now another smaller hand resting next to them. I turned my head to look at Perry still snoring next to me. She had moved her position so she was now on her stomach, her face pressed comically into the pillow, distorting her features. Her arm flung out so her one of her hands was now located on my abdomen. It must have been what woke me, I concluded as I thought about what to do. The physical contact was setting me on edge, but there was also a strange, warming sensation pooling where her palm pressed against my shirt that I couldn't decipher.

After a few seconds of staring at the offending appendage, I gingerly gripped her wrist and lifted her hand off my body. I was startled by how fragile her small hand seemed when compared to mine. I laid her arm gently by her side and moved myself off the bed. I stretched, feeling the strength returning to my muscles. The light through the floral curtains suggested it was late afternoon, glancing at my watch I saw it was indeed 5pm. Slipping on my shoes I went to the car and retrieved my briefcase and Perry's rucksack. She was in the same position when I returned, this girl could really sleep I observed as I laid our belongings down and checked my weapons. Once I was satisfied they were all still in perfect working order I turned my attention to the pistol I had given Perry.

It still contained the nearly spent clip she had used the previous night. I slid it out and began the automatic process of disassembling and cleaning the weapon. I made a mental note to teach her how to do it at some point, then immediately chastised myself for planning to spend more time with her. I settled into my task and only half registered Peregrine's brown eyes locked onto me when I had nearly finished the job. She was lying on her side, her eyes open and fixed onto me. Her face was carefully blank, my chest tightened at the distrust that lingered there. I completed the routine and laid the reassembled pistol down, we stared at each other in silence for a moment. I was unsure what to say.

Perry broke the quiet first, shifting herself so she was sat in a similar position to how I'd slept. "Where are we?" There was no emotion in her voice, and again my chest responded in an unfavourable way to the cold atmosphere between us.

"We are in Novi Sad. The outskirts of it anyway." She nodded and looked around the tiny motel room. Her eyes came to rest on the space next to her, the impression of my body still evident on the sheets. She levelled her gaze back at me, uncertainty filling her brown eyes.

"Did you sleep?" My mouth twitched into a half smile, it felt like an age since I had last done that, and I nodded once at her.

"Yes. For your information I did. Why are you always so concerned about my normal functions?" For the briefest moment she flashed a grin at me, then it dropped as suddenly as it had appeared. The weak part of me almost wished she was back to her normal, annoying self rather than this distant, shadow of her sat on the bed in front of me. She spotted her rucksack on the floor near me and slowly got off the bed. I could sense her unease as she approached to collect it, a tiny flicker of fear crossing her face as she bent down. At least she seemed comfortable with me in her sleep, I thought wryly. Returning to her spot on the bed she took out her laptop and set it up on her lap. I saw her produce a USB and insert it into the machine.

"What's that?" She stared down at her laptop for a moment before answering me.

"I found it after I…after I escaped one of the clean up team." That pause held a thousand unsaid words. I knew she had been responsible for six people's deaths that night; she was creating quite the backlog of bodies. She looked up at me, her eyes betraying her fear. "They were planning on framing me for the explosion in the club. The ICA were going to plant these plans for the bombing on my laptop and say I was shot because I was discovered." I didn't respond; I was well aware of what the agency was capable of. Nothing was below them when it came to protecting their secrecy; I was surprised Perry was even shocked by this discovery.

"Sounds like a good cover story." I stated simply. She glared at me, my nonchalance annoying her.

"I'm glad your impressed by it. I was about to be killed and labelled a terrorist for my troubles." I raised an eyebrow at her, the old Perry creeping back with her outrage.

"In theory that's what you are to the ICA at the moment." She stopped short, her mouth open ready to argue but nothing coming out. She snapped it shut and folded her arms.

"Fair point. Still doesn't change my attitude to what they're doing though." I shrugged; we were nearly back on familiar ground. She wasn't afraid to argue with me at least.

"How did you know about the clean up team anyway?" I hadn't thought to ask this in all the excitement of the night, and my resulting interrogation, but now the question loomed in my mind.

"Diana." It was said with no context, as if she assumed I would understand immediately. I did; my old handler had come through after all, I knew she wouldn't be able to resist helping. Peregrine suddenly began typing furiously, as if this had reminded her of something. I sat, patiently waiting for her to tell me what she was doing, I knew better than to disturb her when she had a keyboard and a determined expression. After a few moments she stopped and read something on her screen, her eyes flicked to me when she was done. "She got my message. She wants to talk to us."

"We'll need to make sure the agency isn't listening." I replied coolly. I wasn't sure how they had tracked us to the nightclub, in some ways it proved their guilt in all this as they must have known what Perry was searching for. This conclusion meant they'd also be waiting for us in Novi Sad, I had to be on guard for anything suspicious. She nodded and turned her laptop to face me. "We need to go here. It's an old radio tower on the edge of the city, it's sometimes used by KGB spies as a way to send encrypted messages to Russia." I looked at her sceptically, she didn't need me to voice my concern at that idea. She rolled her eyes at me and continued, "It's fine. I was just searching its recent broadcasts, it hasn't been used in over a year but is still operational. We can contact Diana there without the agency hearing."

It was a detour from getting to the Doctor, but I was interested to hear what my former handler had uncovered. She must have discovered something if she wanted to talk to us directly. I stood up and donned my tie and suit jacket again.

"We'll go there when it gets dark. How far is it?" Perry pointed to her laptop screen, there was a satellite view of Novi Sad on it. Locating the motel we were in I saw the tower was roughly five miles away. Not far at all. "We'll walk. Are you okay with that?" I was asking about her wound, which still wouldn't be fully healed but I saw her expression become slightly fearful.

"Why can't we drive? It'll be quicker." I retrieved my pistol from the side of the bed, her eyes followed me around the room.

"Anyone watching us will think we are sleeping in the motel still if the car stays here." Her eyebrows pulled down in a worried frown.

"You think someone's watching us?" I sighed and stared down at her.

"They knew where we were last night, chances are the agency are aware of what we are looking for. We need to be very careful from now on." I watched as realisation dawned on her face; there was a very real chance we would encounter the agency's efforts to stop us again. The question was when.

"Okay, we'll walk. But you'll have to be patient with me, I'm not as quick as you." I nodded once, and she shut her laptop and slid off the bed to use the bathroom. I knew what that fearful expression had been, she was afraid to walk alone with me in the dark. As I prepared to depart, I resolved I would gain her trust again, even if it killed me.

…

We left the motel via the service entrance at the rear. It was dark by 7pm so we didn't have long to wait before I decided we should move. Alone I could reach the tower in under an hour, but with my still injured companion it would likely take two. I kept my promise, I was patient, although at times I was tempted just to pick her up and cut our walking time down. However, the nervous glances she kept shooting at me suggested that wouldn't be well received.

The route I had planned to the radio tower took us across a number of fields; I wanted to avoid roads as much as possible. Peregrine was swinging her leg over her tenth fence of the night when her foot got caught causing her to land in the dirt in front of me.

"God damn it!" She yelled into the earth, pushing herself up slowly. I sighed and bent down to grip her arm, intending to help her up but she snatched her arm quickly out of my grasp. I stepped back, giving her space to right herself, she brushed her jeans down and then clasped her knees, her head bent over.

"Are you hurt?" I asked flatly. She looked up at me, her expression exhausted. I was a little unnerved by how pale she was, but I wasn't certain if that was the moonlight or something more ominous.

"I'm fine 47. I'm just…not used to this." I understood what she meant. I was made to outrun, out fight and outlast any normal human; Perry was an ordinary girl with a recent gunshot wound. She didn't stand a chance. I watched as she straightened up and eyed me nervously. "Let's keep going or we'll never get there." She was being brave; I could see the weariness and pain in her face.

I shook my head slowly and tentatively walked towards her. I saw her tense up as I neared her and I raised my eyebrows at her, trying to make my expression as open as I could. It wasn't easy. "Let me."

The persuasiveness of my voice seemed to convince her as she took my offered arm, clinging onto my suit jacket as I took half her weight easily. We continued on, a little quicker than before as I was practically carrying her, navigating her around the various obstacles of the fields and dirt paths. She remained tense for the first twenty minutes or so of our journey, before finally becoming accustomed to my proximity and relaxing into the steady rhythm I set for her. I lifted her over the next fence, her eyes widened as I raised her up so her head was level with mine, she kept her eyes fixed on me in a bewildered stare as she swung her legs over easily this time and I lowered her back down safely.

We continued on in silence for a while before I felt Perry shift on my arm slightly, I felt her looking at me out of the corner of my eye. "Where did you learn to do that?" There was no context, but I needed none. This was the conversation she had wanted to have since the abattoir. I tilted my head to look down at her, her brown eyes were large and anxious.

"My creators taught me." This answer surprised her.

"They taught you torture techniques when you were younger?" Her voice was incredulous, I turned my attention back to our path as we weaved our way through a shoulder height corn field.

"Among other things, yes." I heard her give a low whistle.

"I thought it would have been the agency, all I got taught when I was a child was how to herd sheep." I slowed my pace slightly, the topic of her childhood piquing my interest.

"Sheep?" She chuckled, I could feel the vibrations of it through my arm.

"My Uncle is a sheep farmer, his farm is next to my family home." She had never mentioned this part of her life before. She had come a long way indeed, from farm girl to internationally wanted hacker and assassin handler. It almost made me laugh the absurd turn her life had taken.

"There were no sheep where I was raised. Just Doctors and laboratories." She went quiet for a moment, I knew she pitied me for my past. In truth, I had known nothing else so didn't mourn for my lost childhood, I had never had parents per se only the Doctors who cared for me and tested me against my brothers. We were as different as two people could be, and yet I felt a strange affinity with this girl unlike anyone else I had met.

I could see the dark shadow of the radio tower in the distance now, outlined by the dim moonlight above. There was no sound except our footsteps crunching through the dirt as we approached. I could feel Perry building up to speak again, she had this way of staring intently at something as she figured out how to phrase it. She was currently staring at her feet.

"You scared me back there, in that warehouse." She continued to stare at her feet, a deep frown creased her forehead.

"Why would I harm you Peregrine?" We had stopped now, the corn plants forming a dark, green wall around us. My handler watched me with wary eyes as I turned my body to face her. She was chewing on her lip anxiously now, contemplating my question.

"You have no reason to, I know that. Still, it shows me what you're capable of if I ever…if you had to…" She trailed off. I stared at her, unblinking for a moment.

"It's who I am Perry. It's better you know." We looked at each other in the moonlight, agent and handler. A resigned look appeared on her face after a minute, an unspoken understanding passed between us. We did what we had to and sometimes that meant doing things 'normal' people would consider evil.

As we got closer to the radio tower I slowed down, Peregrine's hand tightened on my arm as she scanned the open area in front of the building with me. The large metal structure stood alone in a barren field. Some farmer had thought to make some easy money selling his land for the building to be built on the outskirts of the city. The small hut at the base of the tower was silent and still, we stood on the edge of the cornfield letting the plants hide us from any potential attackers. I focused my senses on detecting any sign of movement; the surrounding fields were quiet, a night breeze blowing through the corn the only sound.

Perry swung her rucksack off her back, letting go of me she bent down and retrieved her smart phone from inside. I watched her as she turned the screen on, the blue glare lighting up her face. There were dark shadows under her eyes I noted as she flicked through the apps, the light flickering on her face as she did. After a moment she looked up at me.

"There are no signals coming from inside. Looks like it's all clear." I did another sweep of the no man's land between us and the tower, reaching into my suit jacket to produce my silenced pistol.

"Looks like." I stated pointedly. I saw Perry nod out of the corner of my eye as she reached back into her rucksack and produced her pistol. Straightening up she positioned herself slightly behind me, and waited for me to move. I kept a steady pace as I left the cover of the cornfield behind. I felt Peregrine sticking close to me as we walked the seemingly endless distance to the small hut at the base of the tower. Even though I couldn't sense any threats around, I wasn't letting my guard down anytime soon.

We reached the door of the hut and I set about picking the lock. I felt Perry's presence close to my back, facing out into the open space, covering me. A strange tugging sensation pulled at my chest, even with all her inconveniences and distraction, this crazy, ridiculous girl always seemed to be ready to face anything. After all she had been through already, she was still determined to risk her life for what she thought was right.

I opened the door and assessed the empty interior. It looked like no one had been here in a while, there was a row of cabinets containing a multitude of cables and a lone desk with a transmitter and microphone. Everything was covered in dust and shrouded in darkness.

"All clear." I said in a low voice, letting Perry enter first. I gave one last glance outside and closed the door behind us. She was already busy over by the cabinet, moving something around. There was a click and then a single bulb illuminated the room above us. The transmitter lit up and a brief static crackle burst from it.

"We have power." She crowed as she whipped out her laptop and placed it on the desk by the transmitter. I watched her as she scrabbled behind the large transmitter and plugged in her laptop. She worked quickly and efficiently and it was only a matter of moments before Diana's familiar clipped voice crackled through the speakers of the transmitter.

"47, Peregrine good to hear you're alive. Is your transmission safe?" Perry picked up the microphone and spoke quickly into it.

"It's safe, I've set a scrambler on the transmitter. Anyone who's lucky enough to find the signal will just hear Rick Astley on repeat." She grinned over at me, and I raised one eyebrow back.

"Excellent. May I congratulate you on surviving the clean up team. I had my doubts for a moment." I moved over to stand beside Perry.

"They underestimated my handler, I doubt they'll do it again." She looked up at me, a grateful expression on her face. I realised I hadn't acknowledged her saving me until that point.

"Indeed, I am sure they won't be doing much of anything in the near future thanks to Perry. You may be in the wrong job my dear." Perry snorted at Diana's comment.

"I'm trying not to make a habit out of it. Have you found out who sent them?" There was a sigh on the other end of the line.

"I have. There's good news and bad news. The good news is that it is only two members of the board who green lit your elimination. The bad news is that they are also the ones that started the genetic programme again." Peregrine took a sharp intake of breath, I felt my muscles clench as a spasm of anger shot through me.

"So it's true. The ICA _are_ doing experiments?" Her voice wavered with the magnitude of what she was saying. There was the briefest pause, then Diana answered in a grim tone.

"Yes. They are funding and running some kind of genetic experimentation. But all information on it is hidden, well I might add. We have no idea what they are doing exactly and where they are doing it. All we have found is anonymous payments going to a medical company based in Europe, but the people associated with it are well known for their research into human cloning." My eyes narrowed at her evidence.

"We?" I uttered in a suspicious tone. Perry's eyes fixed on me as she too realised Diana's use of the pronoun.

"Luckily I am not alone in this 47. Training Director Mahone has also noticed unusual activity within the agency and was eager to help when he discovered my investigation." Peregrine's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of her old nemesis. He had been determined to dismiss her in the past for questioning the agency's protocol, and was now ironically embroiled in his own rebellion against members of the board.

"That's…interesting." Perry said slowly, turning her attention back to the transmitter.

"We are both currently on board the Jean Danjou in international waters. It is safer here than at headquarters." Perry and I exchanged a glance. It appeared we weren't the only ones being hunted now.

"We've located the Serbian Doctor rumoured to be involved with the experiments that led to that clone boy in Albania." Peregrine launched into our own evidence, she was also tapping away at her keyboard as she spoke to her mentor. "His name is Dr Henric Constantin but he is going by the alias of Dr Petre Vasile in the hospital in Novi Sad. What was the name of that medical company Diana?" She continued to stare at her screen, bringing up search windows with lightening quick speed. The girl couldn't shoot for toffee but she could type quicker than anyone I knew, even Diana.

"Avenir Pharmaceuticals. Dr Vasile is listed as a partner." Perry stopped typing and looked up at me, her brown eyes hard as flint, her mouth set in a grim line.

"I think we've got a match." I nodded at her.

"Peregrine, we need to know the exact location of their operations. They have very little online to go off of, they seem aware of the potential for cyber attacks and have kept most correspondents with the board members strictly offline." Perry's voice was cold and distant as she replied, her eyes fixed on mine. "Don't worry, we'll get him to talk." I didn't like the look she gave me as she said it, evidently she hadn't forgiven me as much as I had hoped in the cornfield back there.

"I know you will. Good luck both, I am sure you will succeed. You haven't found the past attempts to stop you by the agency hard to avoid. We will continue to worm out the corrupt members our end and report back once we both have something more to say."

"Understood Diana." I stated simply to my ex-handler, my eyes still locked with my current one. The line omitted a burst of static before falling silent once more. Perry switched off the transmitter and unplugged her laptop, letting out a long breath as she did so.

"So there we are, I was right." She didn't sound thrilled about it, I remained still as she got up and busied herself with the cables on the other side of the room.

"You were. You have a knack for gaining knowledge on things people don't want you to." She turned her head slightly to look at me. "It makes you a very powerful person Peregrine." She snorted humourlessly.

"Do you know what it's like knowing the stuff I do now? I used to be naïve about the state of the world and a lot happier because of it. Now I seem to be privy to every corrupt government and secret organisation's plans. Not to mention all the death, destruction and misery I've seen the human race capable of over the last two years." She flicked a switch plunging us back into darkness, and walked over to me. Her face was unnaturally pale in the dim light leaking through the boarded windows. Her eyes glowed up at me, her voice quiet and ominous. "No 47, knowledge isn't power, knowledge is a curse."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/U: Hello all, sorry I have slowed a bit on updating. I am still alive, I promise. Chapter 16 isn't far off, so hopefully the gap will lessen now. As always, please review and enjoy! :)**

Chapter 15

I was growing concerned about Peregrine. She looked ill as she lay on the motel bed, researching the hospital our target was holed up in. Her face was getting paler by the hour, and I had felt an uncomfortable heat radiating from her when I had handed her rucksack to her earlier. Her eyebrows were pinched together as she studied her laptop, trying to find a way to our target without drawing suspicion. I wanted to ask her to stay here while I went and dealt with our Doctor friend, but I knew this place was just as unsafe, if not more so with the agency still intent on finding us.

It was likely the corrupt board members were fairly high up the ranking, as they were managing to persuade the rest of the board to pursue and eliminate two of its most valuable assets. I trusted Diana to find out who they were, she was experienced in weeding out compromised members of our organisation. Right now I had to find a way into the hospital, get the intel from our man, whilst ensuring Perry stayed nearby and out of trouble. It was fortunate I was used to completing impossible contracts.

She let out a raking cough and my tolerance of her condition finally ended. "Perry, can I check your wound please?" She looked up at me sharply, her eyes filled with suspicion.

"Why? I'm fine." As she finished, another shuddering cough left her body. I didn't bother explaining myself any further, I stood up and strode across the room towards her. She looked at me nervously as I stared down at her, my gaze cool and calm.

"Perry." This time she didn't argue. Gingerly she slid the laptop off her lap and lifted her shirt to expose her gunshot wound. I sucked in my breath at the sight of the hastily applied gauze covering the area, it was turning a disturbing shade of yellow and red. Perry was watching my grim expression worriedly.

"It's fine 47. I've been changing it like you said." Her voice was unsure as I flicked my gaze to hers.

"Take the bandage off." She grimaced and slowly removed the soiled bandage, revealing a worse sight beneath. The wound was infected, I could see that instantly. The skin was puckered and red, and pus was oozing from the jagged scar I had made when I cauterized it. There were tiny, dark lines, creating a spider web around the wound where her blood was becoming infected. I knew what the cause was, but I struggled to think how to tell her.

"We need to take you to hospital Perry." Her eyes became wide.

"No, I'm fine honestly." Her stubbornness was beginning to grate on me, I decided to go for the direct approach.

"You're not fine. The bullet inside of you is poisoning your blood." She had been about to argue her case when my words made her snap her mouth shut. Her fear was quickly overtaken by anger at being blind-sided.

"The _what_ inside of me?" Her eyes were burning now, matching her rising temperature. All fear she had had for me before suddenly seemed to evaporate.

"The bullet." I kept my voice calm, but it was having little affect on my furious handler. When she spoke next her voice was low and menacing.

"Why is there still a bullet in me?" I let out a sigh, this seemed to anger her more. I was certain I would never really understand this girl's whirlwind emotions.

"Because removing it at the time would have likely killed you. I made an executive decision." Perry narrowed her eyes at me.

"Well, why didn't that executive decision include informing me of the sniper bullet lodged somewhere near my appendix?!" Her sentence ended on a shout, the stress of getting angry wasn't doing her any favours. She erupted into a coughing fit, I waited silently for it to subside before continuing.

"I didn't see the point in causing you unnecessary worry when there was a 98% chance of it infecting. You got unlucky."

"Brilliant. Apologies for being unlucky, what do I do now?" She glanced down and tentatively touched the wound. Her face creased in pain and I could hear her heart rate picking up with fear.

"We take you to a hospital." Finally my calm demeanour seemed to spread to Peregrine, as she took a steadying breath and looked up at me. I always felt like she was searching for something in my eyes when she looked at me like that, her expression almost desperate before she would look away again not finding whatever it was she was seeking. She looked away now, staring blankly at her laptop.

"We are going to a hospital anyway I suppose." She sounded dejected, and exhausted. She needed medical help as soon as possible, her slightly green pallor was starting to make my stomach feel uncomfortable with that lead weight again. Then her words sank in and my mouth twitched in an amused half smile as a plan began to form in my mind.

"It could be our way in." She looked at me then, her own mouth pulling up at the corner into a small grin.

"Go on?" She prompted and I lowered myself slowly on the bed next to her, careful not to jostle her wounded side. Her anger at me faded gradually as I outlined my plan.

…

The hospital was fairly high end, it surprised me as it was the only major medical centre in the city. I had brought Perry in two days ago, her fever had been at melting point by the time I got her to the hospital. I would be lying if I said I hadn't been a little concerned by her condition, she had been slipping in and out of consciousness on the drive there. I had been a bit abrupt with the nurse on the reception, eager to get her seen whatever the price. I had registered her as my wife; it had been the easiest way to explain my willingness to pay and my agitated attitude. Now Penelope Rieper was sat in up in her hospital bed, in a private room, playing chess with me.

"I got that gossipy nurse to blab again today." Perry said in a conversational voice as she moved her knight forward. I had visited her both days, the doting husband. Little did the nurses know I was staying in the Audi parked not far away, and doing my own snooping when the wards were quiet for the night.

"What did she say this time?" I deliberated for a moment before moving my bishop to block her knight. I had been encouraged by her appearance when I had arrived this morning, flashing a charming smile at the ward sister as I entered. The colour was back in her cheeks, and her skin was no longer hot enough to fry an egg.

"She let slip that Dr Vasile is partial to the odd cadaver or two." Her pawn closed in on my knight. "In short, he likes dead people. And doing autopsies on dead people." I raised an eyebrow sardonically.

"That's a…strange bit of intel." She smiled as she watched me slid my castle along, taking her pawn.

"Wait for it." She looked up at me, her brown eyes creasing at the corners as she gave me a rueful smile. "He specialises in unusual cases, and insists on being able to perform them alone. In fact its one of the few times he is here for any length of time and not hiding away somewhere." I stared at her for a moment before my mouth pulled up into a smile matching hers.

"I see." She chuckled returning her attention to the chessboard.

"I knew you'd like that. I swear this guy is impossible to find when he isn't here. Nothing I searched last night worked, he's like a ghost." She moved her Queen to take mine. I raised my eyebrows at her bold move, she grinned cheekily back at me.

"What are you thinking then?" I asked, trying to corner her King. She glanced quickly at the door to make sure no one was eavesdropping before leaning forward so I could hear her lowered voice.

"There's a lady on Ward 7 with a case of Situs Inverus. It's where the-"

"Major organs are reversed, I know." I interrupted smoothly, images of Eric Soders flashed through my mind. It was a rare and unusual condition, something that would definitely interest our Doctor and bring him out of hiding. Perry nodded her smile turning wolfish.

"She isn't on death's door per se, but she isn't looking good. Plus, I have it on good authority she's been stealing from the nurses and is a raging racist. So my conscience is clear." I stared at her as she looked at me pointedly.

"Peregrine." I scolded mockingly. "Whatever will I do with you?" She shrugged, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"I don't know what you mean 47. I was merely giving you the gossip on the ward." She moved her knight once more, taking my bishop. I snorted and stare off towards the door as I thought about her suggestion. In theory it would work; give the lady an overdose, she would be moved to the morgue, likelihood was that Constantin already had his eye on her. When he came in for the autopsy I would be waiting in the morgue, ready for him. I would need to get a Doctor's disguise and make sure no one who had already seen me with Perry would be on duty.

I felt something jabbing my arm and I whipped my head round to see what it was. Perry was poking me, trying to get my attention. "It's your turn." She said simply, ignoring the alarm in my eyes at the unexpected contact. I took a moment to settle my senses before resuming our game. I was playing due to Peregrine's utter boredom when I had entered her private room today. I was pretty certain if I hadn't agreed to the game she would have been climbing the walls by now. The nurses were quick to tell me she was responding to her surgery exceptionally well, I resisted the urge to tell them she had dealt with far worse.

"I'll come in tonight and see what I can do about that lady on ward 7." She was staring at the board again as I moved a pawn towards her King, her eyes flicking up briefly to me.

"Do you need me to do anything?" I eyed her laptop resting on the table next to her. I had persuaded the nurses to let me bring it to her; I could be charming when I wanted to be.

"I should be fine. The security is light here." She moved another piece, her tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Constantin usually comes into the hospital in the early morning if he is called to do an autopsy." I nodded countering her last move. I was rather enjoying the strategic battle between me and my handler, she was proving a formidable opponent currently. I looked back at the table near her hospital bed then, something was sat next to her laptop in a small container. Reaching over I examined the now clean sniper bullet sealed inside. I gave Perry a quizzical look, she eyed the bullet with a serious expression.

"They said I could keep it if I wanted." She took the container from me gently, holding it up to get a better look at the bullet that almost killed her. "I thought I should. It's not everyday you get to live to see the bullet with your name on." Her brown eyes were grave as they locked onto mine.

"You know you could have avoided it if you had stayed away from that square." The smile she gave me was sad as she kept her gaze fixed on me.

"But you were there." That funny, tugging sensation started up in my chest again. We were silent for a moment, I tried to pinpoint the strangely charged atmosphere that had appeared between us all of a sudden, but Perry broke it by looking away again. I was acutely aware of how much I had changed this girl's life, she would probably still be working as a photographer in London. Although I had, and still did for that matter, considered it a massive waste of her potential I couldn't deny she would have been a lot safer if it wasn't for me. That troublesome part of me was surfacing again, and I knew it would be so easy to give into whatever it wanted, but I was afraid of what that was exactly. One thing was for sure, I had never felt anything like what I did for this girl.

"So tonight then?" She moved another piece on the board, her eyes averted from me. I pushed the thoughts of emotion as far back as I could in my mind and nodded.

"Tonight." I moved my castle to check her King, a half smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. I had her now.

"Constantin should be in to deal with her the day after tomorrow then. Hope you're more prepared than you are now." She looked up at me grinning. I frowned at her odd comment.

"Why?" She moved her pawn one square forward, her eyes lighting up.

"Because I just beat you…check mate." My gaze snapped down to the chessboard, she had indeed taken my King. It was trapped on all sides, with no possible moves out. It was the perfect trap. As I was trying to see where I had gone wrong, Perry suddenly let out a triumphant burst of laughter. I couldn't help myself, I watched as she closed her eyes in mirth at my obviously bewildered expression, and I felt my mouth pull up into a genuine smile at the sound of her uncontrollable laughter.

The door to the room suddenly opened and the gossipy nurse in charge of Perry entered. "What is all this? You're getting her too over excited." Her gaze was disapproving but she was smiling at the apparently heart warming scene in front of her. Perry was wiping the tears from her eyes as her laughter subsided.

"It's okay Elena, he was just leaving anyway." I stood up at my handler's dismissal, brushing the creases from my suit. Elena busied herself by Perry's IV drip, giving me a look that said I really should get out off her ward now. Perry was still grinning at me, at least she wasn't so fearful of me now. "I'll see you later, honey." She put a sarcastic emphasis on the last word. I remembered her amusement when I had told her I was posing as her husband; she had also gone a funny shade of pink as well.

Keeping up the pretence as the nurse was still in the room, clearly trying to pick up more gossip on her rounds, I walked over to Perry's head and bent down. I saw her eyes widen infinitesimally as I touched my lips lightly to her forehead. "Until later then." I whispered to her. Turning to go I gave a parting smile to the nurse, she seemed satisfied by my show of affection, and felt a chuckle escape me at Peregrine's shocked, beetroot red face.

…

The hospital took on an eerie quality at night. The corridors, which in the day were filled with nurses, Doctors and their patients, were now largely quiet. A few ward sisters remained to tend to the infirm, but they were easy to avoid. I entered through the porter's entrance; portable bins filled with sheets lined the corridor I was in. Staying alert for anyone in my vicinity, I found the laundry room and made my way to a bin full of freshly cleaned Doctor's coats. Slipping one over my own shirt I walked briskly out, it wouldn't fool anyone up close but from a distance I should be more conspicuous now.

I hadn't gone anywhere but Perry's ward, but I had a general idea from the various signs helping pointing visitors around where ward 7 was located. It was on the third floor, on the other side of the building to Perry's ward 4. The corridors remained empty as I scaled the stairs up to the third floor, I was eager to stay out of sight of nurse Elena. She was too perceptive and eager to pry, I had taken a dislike to her the minute I met her. Although, the feeling was evidently mutual as she had fired a barrage of questions at me before permitting me to visit Peregrine. My handler on the other hand had a way of getting people to like her, and had easily got the old gossip to start spilling all her secrets on the other patients and especially on the mysterious Dr Vasile. It was easy to forget how smart Perry was; it was only in those occasional moments like when she was playing chess with me that I got a glimpse at her true potential.

There was still no sign of any nurses on the third floor; getting my bearings I saw I was in the Cardiology ward. I needed to find a drug store before I headed to my target's ward. Scanning the signs on the doors as I walked down the corridor I searched for the one I needed. Just as I found the door labelled 'пхармацеутицалс' _Pharmaceuticals_ someone exited a room further down. My muscles responded automatically and quickly opened the door to the drug store, slipping inside quietly. The room was dark but I didn't need a light to find what I wanted. I took two bottles of morphine and a syringe and pressed myself against the door, listening for footsteps.

I heard the squeak of loafers on the linoleum outside pause. Controlling my breathing I waited for the person to move on, eventually the squeaking resumed and faded as they entered another room down the corridor. Silently I exited the drug store and scanned the corridor. It was still, a patient coughed in a nearby ward, but no other sounds occurred. Straightening my disguise I headed towards ward 7.

I wasn't expecting this to be a difficult hit, it was an unwell lady in a low security hospital after all. Not only that, it was a hospital that didn't question someone being admitted with a sniper bullet inserted into them. That was Serbia for you. Regardless I prided myself on always completing a contract flawlessly, which meant never letting my guard down. I steered clear of the few security cameras that were posted in the corridors, easily reverting back to a time when my handler didn't automatically take control of them. It made me aware how much Perry did help me on a mission when everything electronic remained un-hacked.

Ward 7 was located in the Oncology treatment section of the hospital; so our lady had cancer. Well, at least I was giving her a painless way out of the horrible disease. It fascinated me that Peregrine had to justify killing a non-target to get to our objective, I played along to make her feel better but truth be told I saw most lives as the same, with a few, rare exceptions.

This was a communal ward, with six beds stationed in it. Four of them were filled, all the occupants were sleeping soundly and I tread softly to keep it that way. A quick glance at each patient's notes told me which one was my girl; Situs Inverus wasn't something everybody had. In fact I had only come across it once before in my former Training Director. She was in her mid 60's, her expression had a sour, pinched look even in sleep. I quietly opened her bedside table, curious to see if my handler's intel was correct. Hidden behind a copy of the Bible was a large pillbox, but it wasn't storing medication, inside there was an assortment of jewellery. Watches, rings and even earrings; this woman really was the artful dodger of the hospital; Perry's intel had been spot on.

Turning my attention to her IV drip I took out my syringe and one bottle of morphine. I inserted the syringe in the bottle and slowly pulled the plunger out, drawing the powerful pain reliever into the clear plastic container. It would be a relatively quick and painless death, euphoric even. I flicked the syringe to dispel any bubbles, and took the loose end of the tube attached to the IV for quick medicine administration. Just as I was about to push the morphine into the lady's bloodstream, she stirred in her sleep, opening her eyes in a daze. They locked onto me and I froze.

"What seems to be the problem Doctor?" She spoke English with a strong British accent. It was a well-spoken voice, closer to Diana than Perry. She was still in the throes of sleep and so hadn't registered I was an unfamiliar face.

"Nothing Mrs Howell. I am just adjusting your meds…for your comfort." She blinked at me, trying to remove the sleep from her eyes.

"Who are you? I don't recognise your voice." Her tone was harsh and slightly panicked. I had to do this quickly to avoid her raising the alarm. I pushed the plunger down and watched as the first syringe full of morphine shot through the clear tube into her arm. She was properly awake now, her eyes wide with fright. "What are you doing?" She was getting louder, instinctively I clamped a strong hand down on her mouth and pushed her head back into her pillow. Her eyes were bulging as she tried to scream against my hand. I managed to draw another syringe full using my other hand and balancing the morphine bottle on the bedside table. She began to struggle against me, clawing with her weak fingers, kicking her skinny legs under the sheet. I pressed my weight down on her more, this was the end for her. I pushed another dose of morphine into her system, it acted fast, I could feel her muscles slackening under my grasp.

Her muffled screaming died away as the drug affected her vocal chords, I slowly removed my hand so I could effectively administer the final lethal injection. She moaned at me, her face lolling to one side, her mouth slack and drooling.

"Pleeeeeeeeef. Mfooo." Her words were distorted now, but I knew the script. It was the same one all my victims used when they saw their death coming. I flicked the syringe again, and looked down at the paralysed woman.

"It'll be over soon." I spoke in a soft voice; I figured Perry would appreciate me trying to comfort her. Growing tired of the woman's god awful moaning I jabbed the final syringe full of morphine into her jugular. The old lady twitched for a moment, a gurgling sound replacing the moan as the muscles in her oesophagus gave way. Then after a minute the drug reached her heart and her eyes rolled back in her head, her twitching limbs stilling.

I waited a moment to be sure she was gone, before brushing a hand over her blank, glassy eyes to close them. The ward was quiet once more, no one had been alerted by the brief scuffle. I took a disinfectant wipe from a nearby dispenser and wiped down all the surfaces I had touched. Then binning the syringe and empty morphine bottles in a bin outside, I strode out the way I had come.

Now all I had to do was wait for Dr Henric Constantin to take the bait.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Peregrine had been right. It took a day for the news to reach Constantin; his scheduled autopsy was pencilled in for tomorrow morning. The ward Perry was on was buzzing with the news of Mrs Howell's death. Nurse Elena couldn't stop crowing about it, saying 'the bitch had it coming' to anyone who would listen. I had been on edge when visiting Perry today; I didn't ever return to the scene of an elimination, it was an unbroken rule…until now. So hearing Elena's jubilant cries saying her hated patient had been 'taken care of' hadn't done my bad mood any favours.

Perry was typing away on her laptop, while I sat in the chair next to her bed glowering. "Your face will stay that way if you're not careful." She didn't look at me but I saw her mouth twitch as I switched my glare to her.

"That nurse is starting to get on my nerves." Perry glanced at the door to her room; we could still hear her voice bouncing down the corridor.

"We'll be gone by tomorrow, do you think you can last that long without killing her?" She fixed me with a stare, the barely concealed humour evident in her eyes. Another burst of laughter reached us from the nurses' station outside, my lip curled in disgust.

"Yes, but I'm not making any promises." Peregrine let out a chuckle, her eyes creasing at the corners as she turned back to the laptop.

"Dr Vasile is due to perform Mrs Howell's autopsy at 7am. No visitors before 9, you got a way in?" I raised my eyebrows at Perry, she grinned back. "I'll take that as a yes." She shut her laptop and placed it on the table beside her. "I'm going to take control of the cameras for you."

I shifted in my chair, "Why? I managed fine yesterday."

"Yes, but yesterday you were just performing a simple hit. Tomorrow you are interrogating and potentially…you know, recreating the scene from the abattoir. I think people in the security office will notice." I shook my head.

"Perry, if he doesn't speak straightaway I am not going to torture a target in this place." She shrugged after a moment's thought.

"It'll make me feel like I'm being useful. I've been stuck in this bed for three days, it's doing my nut in." I huffed and folded my arms across my chest.

"Fine. Just don't compromise us in the process." This time she raised her eyebrows at me.

"Really? This hospital's cyber security is non existent, and this is me we're talking about." I half smiled at her.

"It's good to see your better. Once I am done with Constantin, I'll come and get you." She nodded, then produced the chessboard from her bedside table. I eyed it sceptically, her grin widened at my expression.

"Fancy a rematch?"

…

I was still smarting from my latest defeat against Perry. I had been concentrating this time, not letting her lull me into a false sense of security and she had still managed to trap me. She had taken great delight in beating me, almost like she knew I was trying harder than last time. I had left her for the night after finalising the details of our exit plan, unfortunately keeping up the pretence of visiting my 'wife' had meant enduring that annoying nurse for a good few hours. Perry had been holding back laughter by the end of our last encounter; my knuckles had been bone white from clenching my fists aggressively.

"We need to work on your people tolerance." Perry had quipped at me as I left her room, my teeth gritted together. If this misadventure was proving anything to me, it was that I missed my solitary routine more and more.

I had kept the Doctor's coat I had taken the previous night, and had entered through the porter's entrance again. The hospital was a little busier at this time of day; a few porters were busy pushing laundry bins around. I walked with purpose past the staff, one or two glanced at me but on seeing the Doctor's coat and my confident demeanour they didn't stop me. Peregrine had shown me where the morgue was yesterday; I only had to walk up one flight of stairs and slip along a back corridor to get there. The security cameras weren't an issue now, I strode past them certain Perry had already taken control of the limited security in this place.

I slowed slightly as I rounded the corner and saw a nurse standing outside the morgue door. She was obviously waiting for Dr Vasile; I walked towards her, giving off the air of a man that was meant to be there. She eyed me suspiciously as I approached, clutching a clipboard to her chest. I kept my expression serious, as if I were too busy to deal with pleasantries.

"Ја сам овде да провери на једној од покојника." _I'm here to check on one of the deceased._ The nurse narrowed her eyes at me, then flicked a glance at my chest looking for an ID badge. I had pinned a generic one I had in my car to the coat, but it didn't have the hospital insignia on it. "Ја сам привременог особља ове недеље. Агенција ме је купио у." _I'm temporary staff this week. The agency bought me in._ She looked down at her clipboard, then back up at me.

"Ко је тачно да сте дошли да видите?" _Who exactly are you here to see?_ "Eugen Duric." Peregrine had found a list of the recently deceased in case I needed to explain why I was down here. The nurse's frown deepened.

"Мр Ђурић није због ради обдукције до сутра." _Mr Duric isn't due for an autopsy until tomorrow._ This wasn't going well, I could sense she was unconvinced by my disguise and I was running out of time.

"Послали су ме да то урадим раније." _They sent me to do it earlier._ She shook her head at me, this was definitely not going well.

"Не, мораћете да сачекате Жао ми је. Др Васил је јутрос добио жути картон са аутопсије собу, а он не воли да чекају." _No, you'll have to wait I'm sorry. Dr Vasile has booked the autopsy room this morning and he doesn't like to wait._ She wasn't letting me in anytime soon; I glanced behind me at the empty corridor. There was security camera pointed at us further down, I looked at it imagining Perry urging me to deal with this obstacle quickly. I turned back to the nurse, my expression unguarded now. I saw her eyes widen just before I skilfully wrapped my forearm around her neck and twisted her round.

She clawed at my arm, but it was only seconds before she lost consciousness. Still holding her limp body to me, I opened the morgue door and dragged her in. I was certain I would find a suitable hiding place for her whilst I completed my objective. The room was cold, and lined with stainless steel panelling. The floor was a dark grey tile, sloping in at the middle towards a round drain. Easy to clean, I noted. It was sterile and quiet, I felt at home here.

The nurse's loafers squealed against the floor as I dragged her towards a bank of stainless steel hatches, behind which were stored the hospital's deceased. I found a cold store without a label and opened it, sliding out the metal gurney and easily depositing the nurse on it. I slid her back in and shut the hatch.

Now having a chance to properly scan the room, I noticed there weren't that many places for me to hide. There was a clock positioned on the wall above the door, it read 06:45. I had 15 minutes before Constantin arrived for his autopsy. There was a table in the centre of the room, directly above the circular drain and below a large fluorescent light. On it was a body bag likely containing the cleaned and prepped Mrs Howell. This was a good sign as it meant there was no need of anyone else to come in with Constantin, I could see a smaller table near it with an array of surgical equipment on it and a Dictaphone ready to record his report. There was only one other room off the main morgue; it had a large sink, a locker and not much else. It wasn't ideal but it was all I had, I slipped into the locker and waited.

Patience was something I had always had; being able to wait for the perfect time to strike was one of the reasons I was the best. However, since I had thrown my lot in with Peregrine, those rare moments where I was left with my own thoughts were less than desirable. Instead of the calm, still millpond I was used to, there was a whirlpool of unwanted emotions. In my darkest moments, I sometimes thought my life would be easier if I just killed Peregrine, and put an end to this ridiculous battle inside me. Those thoughts were quickly followed by an odd sense of nausea; similar to the feeling I had when I saw her still body in the alley in Italy.

As I was wrestling with one of those moments, I heard the door to the morgue open. Immediately my body responded instinctively to the sound, my mind cutting off the dialogue with my ever-increasing sentimental side. Dr Constantin's footsteps echoed on the tiled floor as he surveyed his prize. I heard the faintest hint of a sigh and then the sound of a body bag being undone.

"Frumoasa." _Beautiful._ With a start I recognised he was speaking Romanian, not Serbian. I felt a niggling at the back of my mind, but assuming it was my emotions trying to surface again, I ignored it. The Doctor walked into the small room where I was and began to prep himself for his autopsy. Stilling my breathing, I watched him through a slight crack in the locker. There wasn't anything remarkable about him, he was average height and looked on the wrong side of 60. His grey hair was thinning on his head, but he was clean-shaven with a neat pair of wire-rimmed glasses balanced on his nose. He was wearing the same white coat as me, underneath I could see the lapel of a tweed suit and dark blue, knitted tie.

I didn't move a muscle whilst he cleaned his hands and pulled on a pair of surgical gloves. Then letting out a cheery whistle he left the room and returned to the morgue. I waited a few minutes, to be certain he was absorbed in his task. I head the tinkle of metal on metal as he picked up his equipment, then the click as he started the Dictaphone.

"Ово је Др, Петре Васил, почевши аутопсија на покојне пацијента, госпођа Флоренс Хауел у 07.00 часова, у уторак 25. Августа." _This is Dr Petre Vasile, commencing autopsy on deceased patient, Mrs Florence Howell at 0700 hours, Tuesday 25th August._ He was speaking in Serbian now, obviously the hospital wasn't aware of his true nationality and for some reason he didn't want them knowing. I slipped out of the locker, closing the door noiselessly behind me and walked quietly to the doorway of the clean up room. Constantin had his back to me, he was bent over the now exposed body of Mrs Howell. I heard the wet sound of a scalpel cutting into flesh, and the Doctor's appreciative noise as he saw something interesting.

"Фасцинантан." _Fascinating._ I advanced on the old man, making no noise as I got closer to him. My plan was to subdue him and take him somewhere else. The Audi was parked nearby and I knew my route to the porter's entrance was relatively clear, all I would have to do was put him in my car and then collect Perry quickly. Once at a secure location I would interrogate the good Doctor, this time keeping Perry well clear of the ordeal. I was just preparing to wrap my arm around him when he spoke in a loud, clear voice…in perfect English.

"I knew you would come for me one day." I froze, dropping my arm to my side, my eyes narrowing at his back. There was no question in my mind that he was talking to me. The Doctor put down his scalpel and sighed; this time the sound wasn't appreciative, it was sad. "It was only a question of when." Dr Constantin turned slowly to look at me, his watery, grey eyes showing no sign on fear. I took a step back, regarding my decidedly alert prey. He looked me up and down, as if inspecting me, then gave me a weak smile. I didn't like the way he assessed me, it reminded me of the Doctors from my childhood. My lip curled and my eyes hardened, as the Doctor continued to stare. "You really are a wonder 47."

I was a statue, watching the Doctor who knew my name like he was a particularly nasty, rattle snake I had accidentally trodden on. Silence formed between us as he waited for me to respond, and I was unsure whether I should. I didn't recognise him, I thought I had taken care of all the senior Doctors who were responsible for my creation. I also couldn't place him amongst the plethora of assistants and researchers who were under Dr Ort-Meyer, but he knew me. I decided to be direct; my memories weren't providing the intel I needed.

"Do I know you?" Dr Constantin's smile widened at my response.

"No, there's no reason you should remember me my dear boy. I was small fry when I witnessed your creation. A mere boy out of College, but I remember you." I blinked slowly at the Doctor. So he had been an assistant I hadn't met, interesting. My fists clenched instinctively, faced with another relic of my past.

"You knew my creator then?" My voice was dangerously low, but Dr Constantin nodded enthusiastically. He was behaving like he was chatting to an old friend, not a trained assassin.

"Dr Ort-Meyer? Yes, I did. He was a brilliant man." A quiet rage began to form inside me. This man clearly wasn't aware how thin the ice he was walking on was.

"That is your opinion." The Doctor chuckled sadly.

"Indeed, I heard how he met his end. Quite poetic don't you think, to be killed by your own creation?" I shrugged, finding it hard to talk to this man much more. I took a step towards him, intending to end this conversation and subdue him as planned. Constantin held up his hands, backing away until he connected with the autopsy table behind him. "Wait. I know why you are here 47."

I paused again, my patience finally starting to wear thin. "Go on." I prompted, not wanting to inadvertently reveal my intentions. He lowered his hands and adjusted his tie nervously, for the first time I saw that familiar glint of fear in his eyes, but it wasn't because of me I was sure.

"I tried to distance myself from it, but I knew the project would catch up with me again. Things like that always do." I was beginning to tire of his cryptic way of talking.

"What project?" He looked at me sharply, noting my impatient tone.

"Project Wechselbalg." The German name was obviously a homage to my late creator, I narrowed my eyes at Constantin waiting for him to continue. He didn't need any encouragement; he began to babble like a man wanting to confess. "I joined wanting to make my own mark in the scientific community, cloning is still very much taboo but those committed to pursuing it are passionate beyond belief." I was silent as he spoke, letting his words dictate how I would kill him at the end of his confession. "When they approached me I was a novice in the field, but their money and influence was an inviting prospect. Needless to say, I agreed to join the project."

"They?" I interrupted suddenly. Constantin blinked at me rapidly, as if coming out of a trance. He adjusted his glasses as he considered my question.

"I'm afraid I don't know their names. All I know is that the benefactors for Project Wechselbalg were prominent figures within your assassin's agency. In fact I was hoping you could enlighten _me_ to their identities." I shook my head, my mouth a thin line.

"We are being hunted by the agency at present. The people responsible are next on my list." The Doctor laughed loudly.

"I'm sure they are dear boy, I'm sure they are. Well, it will be a shame not to see that." I raised an eyebrow at his comment, he snorted at my response. "I'm not an idiot 47, I know you intend to kill me once we are done here. If truth be told, I was rather considering taking my own life anyway. The things I have done have been terribly hard to live with." He raised his hands up then, smiling broadly at me. "Then I find you here, ready to interrogate me. I have been blessed with a way out of this nightmare and a chance to confess. Not many men can say as much." I slowly drew my silenced pistol from my coat and held it by my side. The Doctor looked at it and closed his eyes, a peaceful expression on his face. Mine remained stern.

"So confess." Constantin opened his eyes and looked into mine.

"We did it. We succeeded 47. We created class 1 clones for the first time since your creator and they were exceptional. Our benefactors wanted to continue what you started, and what your agency attempted to do ten years ago and we surpassed both." My finger twitched on the trigger of my pistol, this man said he wanted to confess but at the same time seemed proud of his accomplishments. Oblivious to my souring mood, Constantin continued. "The first few clones were flawed yes, but we had achieved what only one other had. Over the coming months we perfected and honed our craft until we truly had created the perfect killing machines."

"You seem happy with your achievement. Why the regret now? And why did you leave?" The Doctor's jubilant mood changed almost instantly. I was sure he wasn't emotionally stable, if I wasn't living proof of the existence of clones I would say this man was mad.

"Because as always, we went too far. Or more accurately, our benefactors did." I straightened up slightly; the ICA's involvement in all this was still largely unknown to me, I was eager to understand why they had tried genetic experimentation again after their last disastrous attempt. "The clones were a success, they were unstoppable but they were conscious that you too were the perfect solider until you rebelled." I raised my eyebrow at him, Constantin laughed at my expression. "You cannot deny you were always different from your brothers 47. Ort-Meyer told me you used to keep pets and tried to escape. Our benefactors wanted to erase that risk of rebellion within our clones, so they developed something I did not condone."

The Doctor slid his hand into his Doctor's coat, I tensed instinctively but he quickly held up his other hand. I watched as he drew his hand back out, it was clenched around something small. Tentatively he stretched out his arm and uncurled his fingers to reveal a tiny, grey square nestled in his palm. My eyebrows pinched together as I tried to decipher what he was showing me.

"It's a microchip 47." My blue eyes snapped up to meet his grey ones, understanding flashing between us. He nodded solemnly. "Yes, that is right. We inserted these into the clones, at the base of the skull to be precise. It can take control of the nervous system, allowing someone to instruct the clone's body what to do. They are compelled to obey the electrical signals this little piece of technology gives out, and if they don't…well, the beauty of having a chip like this attached to your spinal column is it can kill you instantly or incapacitate you with the press of a button. The truth is some companies have already started using them in things like televisions and cars; they can control anything with an electrical signal, including any organic matter with brain waves. They truly are the future these things, and what a terrifying future it is 47."

I stared at Constantin for a moment, processing what he had just revealed to me. "So these microchips can control humans and computers?" The Doctor nodded again, his expression grave. If the agency truly had developed this kind of technology along with successfully creating clones, they could control everything. Suddenly the motives for keeping this project from the majority of the ICA, and attempting to silence the operatives that uncovered it even if they were your most valuable assets, made sense. The agency was neutral above all else; the board wouldn't allow this to continue.

Constantin took a step forwards, and proffered the microchip he was still holding out to me. "Take it 47. I know you are meaning to uncover what I have been doing, but you will need this to do so." I took it and gingerly inserted it into my trouser pocket.

"What do I do with it?" He shook his head, smiling enigmatically.

"Not you dear boy, but your lovely handler will be able to use it to her advantage I'm sure." Instantly I levelled my gun at his head.

"How do you know about her?" The Doctor continued to smile at me.

"Peregrine is infamous in the technological world. I dare say she is probably the world's best hacker, although she would not admit that herself I am sure." He was right, she wouldn't. He chuckled, as if remembering something amusing. "The world's greatest hacker, and the world's greatest assassin. You make quite the formidable match. If anyone can end what I started, it will be you two." He laughed again, and continued almost to himself. "Yes, you will be the right pair indeed." I frowned at this deviation; I hadn't liked how he knew my handler's involvement in all this. I lowered my gun, something felt off but I couldn't think why.

"A microchip that controls everything is hardly a reason to kill yourself." I growled. He lowered his eyes and sighed.

"True. It is not something I am happy about, but it isn't the sole reason for my guilt. As I am sure you can remember 47, the Doctors involved in this field never saw their creations as human, thereby making it easier to treat them as they did." My finger tightened on the trigger of my still raised gun, he was right that I remembered, in rare moments of weakness the memories of my childhood still haunted me. Constantin registered my unease and smiled sadly. "I did things I am…not proud of 47. One day I just woke up and saw my actions for what they were, and I could no longer live with it. However, merely killing myself wasn't enough to absolve what I did, I needed to tell someone, but who would believe me? Then you arrived."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What did you do?" He shook his head then.

"No 47, I have confessed about the chip. Some things will be better for you to see for yourself." I didn't like this man's sudden vagueness, but I was growing weary of the Doctor's ramblings.

"Where is the facility?"

"You know where it is better than anyone." My muscles tensed in unease, before he spoke I knew deep down where they were doing their experiments. "It is in Romania, in the region of Satu Mare, underneath an abandoned mental asylum." I closed my eyes; I had sworn I would never return to that place but fate had dictated otherwise.

"Thank you Doctor. Your cooperation is appreciated." I opened my eyes once more and stared at Dr Constantin. He gave me a knowing smile and nodded once.

"You're welcome my dear boy. I am only glad I got to confess, to you of all people, at the end." He turned to face away from me slowly, and I moved towards him. "I wish you and your companion luck in completing your objective." I paused for a moment, taking in this man who knew me for what I was and had witnessed my creation. I wrapped an arm around him and felt his heart beating wildly against his chest. I pressed the barrel of my pistol against his spine, just at the point to give him a quick and painless death. It was the least I could do after his compliance. I felt him let out a long sigh, and then in a hushed tone he uttered in Romanian. "Doamne, iarta-ma." _God, forgive me._

I shot him quickly, he collapsed against me and I lowered him carefully to the floor. Sweeping a hand over his eyes to close them, I spent a moment looking down at him reflecting on his revelation. I didn't have long however, as the harsh ringing of the fire alarm broke through my reverie. Immediately I straightened up and grabbed the still recording Dictaphone off the auopsy table. This was my proof of the Doctor's confession.

Instinctively I knew the alarm had something to do with Perry; something was wrong and I had to get to my handler. I could hear running footsteps from above me as people began exiting the building. It was likely Perry was being evacuated as well, but I still needed to check she was safe. I swiftly placed Dr Henric Constantin's body in one of the empty cold storers next to the unconscious nurse, and left to find Peregrine.

Nurses, Doctors and patients were flooding out of the hospital as the alarm blared on. I fought against the tide of people, no one gave me a second look in all the chaos. Eventually I reached the third floor and made my way to ward 4. The corridors here were empty, gurneys and medical files were discarded as if dropped in a hurry. Something wasn't right, these people wouldn't have rushed out like this for a potential fire, something or someone had scared them. I instantly drew my silenced pistol again, a tingling feeling of unease coming over me. That irritating lead weight was lodged in my stomach as I hoped Perry had left with everyone else.

As I neared her private room I stopped and stared at the corpse of Elena, the loud nurse. She was staring down the corridor towards me, her eyes blank, a neat red hole in her forehead. I lowered into a crouch and positioned myself in a doorway just down from Perry's room. I couldn't hear anything over the alarm, and the weight pressed down uncomfortably on me. This girl was seriously going to be the death of me.

Satisfied no one was going to come wandering down this corridor, I crept towards Perry's room. The door was open and I skirted round the slowly growing pool of blood from the dead nurse to peer inside. There was no one there; no attacker, but equally no Perry. I straightened up and walked into the room, the chess set was scattered over the floor, as if it had been knocked over. There were signs of a fight, a table overturned, the IV drip on the floor. I frowned as I scanned the room for any sign of who had come in here. My eyes settled on the hospital bed, the covers were rumpled at the foot of it but I noticed the mattress underneath was bare. Where were the sheets?

Automatically I looked at the window, it was slightly open. I walked over to it and slid the glass up, sticking my head out I looked down into the terrified brown eyes of my handler.

"Oh my god. You scared the shit out of me." She breathed. She was gripping onto the bed sheet she had ripped from her bed. It was wound round a steel strut that was part of the hospital's exterior design. Her feet were planted on the side of the building, her thin hospital gown blowing in the wind. I reached a hand down and held it out to her. Taking a moment to gather her strength she let go of the sheet with one shaking hand and gripped mine. I lifted her in through the window easily, and helped her navigate the ledge not letting go until she was back inside the building.

"Are you alright?" I asked coolly, looking around as she straightened her hospital attire.

"I'll get back to you on that." Her voice was wavering slightly. "There's an agent here." I nodded once, assuming as much. "Lucky I hacked into the security cameras, I saw him coming. Although I didn't get a good look at him." She was rummaging in the wardrobe for her clothes. I kept a look out at the door as she dressed herself in her slightly grubby jeans and shirt, keeping my eyes averted respectfully even though I wanted to check her over for injuries. The corridor outside seemed quiet, I realised then that the fire alarm had stopped. There was an eerie stillness now, like the building was holding its breath.

"Did you get what we need?" Perry was suddenly at my elbow, staring up at me, her expression fierce. I looked down at her and nodded once, she took the hint and set her mouth in a firm line. We were getting out of here, as quickly and quietly as possible. Knowing she would follow I stepped out of the room and dashed silently to the stairs. I could feel her right behind me as I made my way down them slowly. The agent was still here; I knew it. He wouldn't have left without completing his contract. My senses were on high alert, waiting for the sound of a misplaced footstep.

We reached the ground floor and I turned to head towards the porter entrance where my car was waiting outside. We were just rounding a corner when I heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked. I raised mine to head height and signalled for Perry to wait. Taking a steadying breath I swung round the corner pointing my gun at my target's head.

A pair of light blue eyes widened as they saw me. Then my handler's surprised voice cut through the silence like a gunshot.

"Carlton!"


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So here is Chapter 17, we are getting close to the end now guys. Thanks for sticking with me, I know I have been a bit slower to upload but I really want to get this story right for you all. Enjoy, rate and review! :)**

Chapter17 

I was frozen, my gun still aimed at Agent Smith's head. My eyes narrowed at him as Peregrine pushed past me to stand between us. I gripped her upper arm trying to pull her back behind me but she planted her feet stubbornly, and I didn't want to take my focus too much off the agent.

"Perry. Long time no see." His eyes flicked nervously from me to his former handler. I didn't lower my gun; regardless of his connection to Peregrine he was still an agent on a contract.

"You here to kill us?" I asked bluntly. Smith locked eyes with me, I noticed confusion clouding them. His gun was still pointed at the floor; Perry hadn't improved his survival skills that much then.

"What? No, I'm here for a Doctor." I felt Perry look at me sharply. So they were trying to cover their tracks, too late I thought.

"Dr Vasile?" Smith smiled slightly at Perry's voice.

"Yeah, that's the one. Although I'm not really supposed to tell you." Perry rolled her eyes, then flashed him a huge grin. Smith grinned back at her, a moment passed between them that I was not a part of. It made my insides clench for some reason.

"I've already dealt with the Doctor, why did you go to Peregrine's room upstairs then?" My voice was cold as I drew the agent's attention away from my handler and back to me. He frowned; he had always been slow this one.

"I didn't." He stopped talking and looked away, his hand hovered by his ear as if he was listening to someone. He was, his handler was speaking to him from wherever they were. We watched him for a moment; Perry glanced back at me, worry written on her face. Agent Smith finally looked back at us, his expression grim. "There's another agent here."

"What?!" Perry shook her head in disbelief. "What is going on here? Why would they send two agents to the same place for different contracts?" I stared down at her, my mind working overtime.

"Ibis says the contracts were activated at the same time, but by two separate people." Ibis was clearly his handler; all new handlers were given avian codenames, so whoever they were they were new to the agency like Peregrine. My head snapped round as I heard something move behind us, Perry must have heard it too as she instinctively gripped my arm.

"We have to move." I growled, as I strained my hearing. I felt Smith shift as he peered around us, his gun finally held ready in front of him. Having us all stood exposed in the corridor was putting me on edge.

"This way both, there's an exit through here." Agent Smith turned and walked swiftly down the corridor. I gestured for Peregrine to go first, and with another glance behind us I followed. Smith ducked into a room at the end of the corridor, it was an emergency Resus room. He dashed over to a door and propped it open, motioning us to move through it.

"This leads down to morgue, there's a back entrance down there." I nodded; I knew where to go. The sound of footsteps coming down the corridor drew all of our attention. I raised my gun, ready to fight but then I remembered my companion. Peregrine was glaring at the doorway, her expression determined. I wasn't afraid to take on this agent, but I knew when to pick my battles and I wasn't prepared to risk Perry's safety again with her still recovering.

"Let's go." I snapped, sensing the other agent closing in. Peregrine looked from me to Smith, her eyes wide.

"We're just going to leave him?" I frowned down at her.

"He isn't after Agent Smith, he is after us." Her worried expression didn't lessen, but before I could persuade her to move again Smith smiled at her.

"It's okay Perry. I can handle myself." She stared at him for a moment then nodded slowly. He turned his gaze to me, his eyes creasing slightly. "Besides, I owe this one for all the times he's saved my ass." The footsteps had stopped now, but I knew the agent was nearby. I gripped Perry's arm and started walking her down the sloping corridor to the morgue. She resisted, straining to keep her eyes on her former agent.

"Thank you Carlton." He smiled at her, then turned his attention to behind him, shutting the door on us. I strode on down the corridor, practically dragging Peregrine behind me. She took hold of my hand suddenly and tried to pull it off her arm.

"I can manage by myself thanks." She shot at me grumpily. I glared down at her.

"I know, a little too well actually. I don't want you dashing off and trying to be heroic again." She glowered back up at me.

"I wasn't going to." I sighed, giving in I let go of her arm and she flexed it, breaking into a jog to try and keep up with my increased pace. We reached another door finally; a set of double doors leading into the corridor the morgue was on. I pushed them open carefully; we both looked back the way we had come at the sudden sound of crashing. Clearly Smith had found our assailant. Perry didn't say anything but I felt her tense next to me. Her concern for her former agent was so like her, I wasn't surprised anymore.

Quickly I ushered her through the doors and indicated with my pistol to proceed towards the laundry room. We were nearly out when I heard the soft thunk of the metal door opening and shutting again behind us. Silently I grabbed Perry and pulled her into the laundry room, crouching down behind a bin full of sheets as I did.

"Wha-" She began to exclaim before I clamped a hand over her mouth. I could feel her angry glare burning into the side of my face, but I ignored it and focused my hearing on the corridor outside. There was the faintest sound of footsteps advancing on the room we were in, I looked around and noted there was only one way in and out. A small window was set high on one wall, but I was certain I couldn't fit through it.

Gradually I let go of Perry; she stayed crouched in front of me and looked over her shoulder waiting for my cue. Good, at least the girl was learning. The footsteps had stopped; I tensed as I sensed the agent's presence outside the door. It wasn't Smith, that was for certain, the buffoon would have likely burst in already. No, whoever this was they were aware of my reputation as they were keeping their distance.

"I know you're in there 47." The agent's voice was calm and clear through the laundry room door. "I'm not here for you. The agency are willing to forget your misdemeanours, and allow you to resume your work for them. Just let me have the handler and you're free to go." Perry looked up at me, her wide-eyed terror provoking something deep inside me. I didn't need any convincing, giving her up was out of the question. Somewhere along the line my weaker side had won, and my priorities had shifted drastically.

This alarming revelation didn't help me much though; we were still in a less than desirable situation. There were no exits from this room and high chance of one of us getting seriously injured or killed if we barrelled out through that door. I decided to play for time until something came to me.

"And what if I don't?" My raised voice made Perry jump, her expression clearly asking what was I doing. There was a moment of silence on the other side before the agent replied, his tone ominous.

"Then I will have to kill you both." I shifted my weight slightly, my brain rushing through all my options. Perry hadn't taken her eyes off of me since the agent had spoken. A slow anger began to build in me at this assassin threatening her safety. I tightened my grip on my pistol and growled under my breath so only Perry could hear.

"You can try." She gripped my arm suddenly. I became aware her fear for own life had switched to a fear for mine. The anger inside flared harshly at her selfless attitude. I needed to get her somewhere safe. I glanced behind us at the small window again, and gestured towards it with my head. Her eyes followed my movement and she frowned slightly. "You think you could fit through there?" I murmured. She regarded the tiny opening for a minute before flicking her gaze back to me.

"Only one way to find out." She whispered in response. We moved quietly over to the window and I tried it. It was stiff but I managed to push the rectangular glass panel open enough for her to squeeze through. I wasn't certain where it led, I could see a brick wall outside so assumed it was somewhere behind the hospital. If it was, the car wasn't far away. I turned to Peregrine and handed her the keys for it along with the Doctor's Dictaphone. She looked down at them, then up at me with a worried expression.

"The car is around the back of the hospital, it isn't far. Go there and lock yourself in. If you see _anyone_ that isn't me approaching, drive. Do you understand?" She nodded, her hand gripping my suit jacket again.

"What about you? This guy knows you, and you're trapped in here. He isn't going to give you an easy fight." I shrugged, extracting my arm from her grip.

"I've had worse odds. Do you need a hand up?" She shook her head this time, and pocketed the Audi's keys. Pulling herself up, she wriggled through the window easily. I watched as she hopped down on the other side and bounced up on her tiptoes, her eyes just about able to see me looking back at her.

"Good luck 47." She said, her voice cracking slightly in distress. I really wished this girl didn't care for me as much as she did; it would be better for her health. After a moment of staring at me helplessly, she crouched down and I listened as her quiet footsteps disappeared behind the building. Good girl, I thought as I turned to glare at the laundry room door.

Now that Perry was away from immediate danger, I could feel my head beginning to clear. The element of surprise was obviously not on my side, as he was completely aware I was in here. I also didn't want him coming into the unclosed space I was in as he may work out where Perry had escaped. No more voices came through the door, I figured he had assumed my refusal to help and was preparing to fight. Looking around the laundry room I searched for something to assist me. There wasn't much in the way of weapons but my eyes landed on a large box of detergent. It wasn't strong enough to harm the agent if thrown at him, but it would provide a fairly good smokescreen.

I grabbed it and positioned myself by the door. The corridor outside was now deathly silent, I knew the agent was counting on me to make the first move. Usually I would wait him out, but time was not on my side today. I wanted to get us out of this city and on the road to Romania before the agency cut us off again. I opened the door just enough to slid the box of detergent into the middle of the corridor, then aimed my pistol and shot it. The box exploded sending a white cloud of detergent into the air.

I used the cover to step out of the laundry room, my pistol raised ready. I let my instincts take over as I listened for my prey. I couldn't see anything, just like the agent wouldn't be able to see me, but I could sense someone was peering round the corner of the corridor. I aimed my pistol and fired. There was a muted grunt as I hit his leg. Slowly I began backing away towards the porter's entrance behind me. The white storm of detergent was beginning to settle, the faintest black outline of a man in a suit just becoming visible. I aimed again at his head as I continued to back away. If I didn't kill him he would only follow us until I did. Better to do it now before he caused any more trouble.

As I began to squeeze the trigger I became acutely aware of someone approaching behind me. I whirled around and came face to face with an unfamiliar man in a dark suit, a silenced pistol aimed at my head. It only took a second of brief confusion before I heard the man I had shot groan again and curse. "God dammit."

My lip curled in frustration as I recognised the voice as Carlton Smith's. I brought my gun round to level it on the agent in front of me.

"Hello 47." His voice was calm as he regarded me coolly. He was a lean man of average height, his dark brown hair was neatly combed back, a pair of intelligent green eyes set in a pinched face stared out at me. I didn't recognise him, but he clearly knew me. I narrowed my eyes at him, his blank expression not wavering. "I must admit I'm a little disappointed." I could still hear Smith groaning in the background, the white cloud had pretty much disappeared, settling around us like a snowdrift. "The agency holds you in such high regard, I was even told not to engage you as I would likely end up dead. And yet here we are, with me holding a gun to your head. That girl really has made you soft."

"What do you mean?" My voice was low and menacing, I didn't really want to get into a conversation with him but I felt it best to play along for now. The agent gave me a rueful smile.

"There are whispers that you and your new handler are closer than should be allowed." He shrugged, an arrogant expression on his face. "Personally I don't really see the need for them in the field. They should be go back to be the middleman between you and the agency, nothing else. Some agents tend to rely on them too much." At this last comment he looked behind me pointedly, where I was sure Smith was still struggling to stay upright. In the past I would have agreed with him, but things were different now…she was different, and I took an instant dislike to this agent and his attitude. He continued to smile at me nastily.

"It's okay 47, I can help you regain your formidable reputation. Just give me the girl." This time I smiled at him, my eyes glinting dangerously.

"I don't think so." He sighed.

"Then I am sorry to have to do this." He curled his finger around the trigger of his silenced pistol. I did the same.

"You shoot, I shoot too. We both end up dead." I growled at him, he didn't look phased.

"Maybe. I'll still go down as the one that killed the infamous 47 though." His smile widened. We were in a stale mate, I knew he had little regard for his own safety and would willingly die for his mission. I used to be the same, death never scared me; it was inevitable. But as I stood staring down the barrel of his gun, I was afraid. Not for myself, but for Perry. If I wasn't around she was as good as dead. She was clever, sure, but she was also stubborn and she would continue on her crusade until it got her killed. She needed me. I watched the agent's finger as it began to squeeze his trigger. My muscles tensed in preparation, I only hoped I was fast enough to get out of the way.

Several things happened at once; the lights suddenly went out, plunging the corridor into darkness and I heard a gunshot from somewhere behind me. The agent fell to the floor as his silenced pistol fired, the shot going wide, whistling past my ear. Instinctively I crouched down, attempting to avoid any other gunfire. It took my brain a second to register that the gunshot behind me had come from Agent Smith. I didn't have twenty, twenty vision in the dark, but it was certainly better than most people's. I could see the agent trying to regain his footing, Smith had shot him in the knee. I felt a tiny swell of gratitude towards the clumsy agent; he really had saved me this time.

I stood up smoothly and pressed my gun to the agent's head. He froze and tilted his face to look up at me. I glared down at his shadow on the floor, aware that Smith was limping up behind me.

"Looks like you won't get your fame after all." I saw his mouth twist into a sneer at my remark. I squeezed the trigger and watched his head jerk back at the impact of the bullet. His body collapsed, limp on the floor. I turned to Smith's dim figure behind me. "Come on." I said simply. His eyes widened at my invitation, and I waited as patiently as I could by the exit as he hobbled towards me. The light outside was blinding after our brief power cut. I wasn't sure what had happened back there, but I would put money on Peregrine being involved.

As we rounded the corner of the hospital, I felt my insides relax as I saw her sat on the front of the Audi, her laptop balanced on her knees. She looked up when she sensed us approaching, her face momentarily panicked before she saw who it was and it split into a wide grin. I strode towards her, Smith hopping along behind me.

"I thought I told you to stay in the car." My voice was level and calm, not betraying the relief I felt at seeing her safe. Her eyebrows pulled together in a scowl as she slowly shut the laptop.

"How about, thanks Perry for your timely intervention and quick thinking yet again?" I raised an eyebrow back at her.

"I guess you were responsible for the lights then?" She snorted.

"And the rest." I stared at her, confused. She sighed at my expression. "Who do you think told Carlton when to shoot?" She stabbed a finger at her chest. I glanced at the slightly sweaty agent next to me. He grimaced at Perry as he clutched his thigh, the blood beginning to drip through his hand. She registered his expression and quickly placed her laptop to one side, hopping down off the car. She deftly undid his tie and bent down by his injured leg. He showed no sign of discomfort at her familiarity with him, a harsh pang shot through my chest at their sudden closeness. Perry expertly tied the strip of fabric around the wound, making sure it was tight enough to stem the flow of blood. "There. Better?"

He smiled weakly at his former handler as she straightened up in front of him. "Thanks Perry. That was really starting to smart." She flicked an annoyed glance at me.

"It would have helped if you hadn't had shot him." I frowned at her, holstering my pistol under my suit jacket.

"Apologies for not asking if he was the agent out to kill me beforehand." She walked back over to the car and leant on it, folding her arms.

"Tell Ibis I'm sorry I booted him off." She directed this comment at Smith. He chuckled.

"It's fine. I think he's a little smitten with you, said you weren't anything like what he pictured." She coloured slightly at his remark and looked down at her feet.

"You hacked into his earpiece?" I asked incredulously. The ICA's transmissions were one of the most secure systems I knew of; only senior agency figures could divert a signal once established. She looked up at me grinning. World's greatest hacker indeed I thought, remembering Dr Constantin's assessment of her.

"It was kind of weird hearing you in my head again Per." Smith smiled at her, "But nice." There it was again, I would have to get used to these unexpected emotions if I was going to continue my foolhardy relationship with Peregrine. Still I wasn't sure I liked this uncomfortable stabbing feeling in my gut, like a knife; I think it was what people called jealousy.

"Thank you." I muttered, wanting to end this gathering and move on. Smith and Perry both looked at me, surprise on their faces.

"Who was that directed at?" Perry asked, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Both of you." I growled. I was losing patience with this rapidly.

"Well I'll be." Smith said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I can die happy now. The famously stoic 47 just thanked us." He guffawed, then winced as the wound in his leg protested at the movement. Perry stepped forward and hugged him lightly.

"See you around Carlton." He patted her back awkwardly. It was good to know it wasn't just me unsure how to handle human contact.

"You two be careful. The agency seems to be super mad at you right now." Peregrine gave him a tight smile and walked to the passenger side of the Audi, obediently waiting for me. I nodded at Smith curtly, he smiled and returned the nod. An unspoken respect shared between two agents. I strode to the drivers side and slid in, Perry entering after me. I saw her glancing in the rear view mirror as we pulled away, watching Smith limp away to his car.

We drove out of Novi Sad in silence, Perry looking out of the window deep in thought. I was about to ask if she was okay when she turned to me, her expression determined. For a fleeting moment though I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"So, where are we headed? Did the good Doctor give us an exact location?" I nodded and saw her sit up straighter.

"We're headed to Romania." I kept my tone careful, not wanting to reveal my mixed feelings about our destination. She frowned, staring at the side of my face.

"Romania. Isn't that where you-?"

"Yes." I answered simply, cutting her off. She watched me for a moment, assessing my mood. I sighed, noticing how my hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly. "The experiments are being conducted in the same place I was created." I glanced at her stunned face.

"Shit." She breathed. "Really?" I nodded, turning back to the road ahead. The silence hung between us as Peregrine tried to digest what I had just told her. "Well, at least you'll know how to get in." I looked at her sharply then, my gaze hard.

Her expression was serious despite her frivolous comment. "This isn't going to be easy Perry."

"I know. I'll get in contact with Diana once we're out of Serbia." I didn't reply. The scenery flashed past us as we left Novi Sad and headed for the Serbian border. I had already infiltrated that Asylum once and escaped it multiple times, and in all the times I had been there one thing I knew for certain, it was the last place in the world I wanted to take Peregrine.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"The agency is falling apart." Diana's voice reverberated around the apartment we were staying in. "This goes all the way to the top and most of the board are now being forced to take sides." We were in the town of Marghita, about an hours drive from Satu Mare in Romania. Peregrine was out gathering supplies, she had glared at me threateningly when I had offered to accompany her.

"I don't need constant supervision 47, contrary to what you might think I can look after myself." I hadn't been in the mood to fight her, she had humoured me by installing a tracking app on my phone so I could keep tabs on where she was. I watched the tiny white blip that represented Perry on it now, as it drifted down a high street in the town centre.

"Mahone and I both think the Director of the ICA is involved." I looked up from my phone and towards the laptop in the corner of the room. "He knows about the experiments?" I asked simply. Diana paused for a moment.

"Yes…We are certain he does. And not only that but he headed the project. I'm going to be honest 47; the ICA is in a bad place at the moment. If we can't stop this and get rid of the board members who want to see this project succeed, I am afraid we are going to see a change in our world like never before." I stared silently at the laptop, contemplating what Diana had just said. The agency had been disbanded and broken before, but the fear in my former handler's voice told me this was something different.

Cloning was a contentious issue at the best of times, cloning super human killers was sure to cause up roar. In all the years I had worked for the ICA they had always maintained a neutral sense of power in the world, unlimited influence and funds but with no desire to manipulate society to their advantage. They left that to their clients. However, the atmosphere seemed to be changing, with an army of killers similar me, and a microchip that could control anything electronic including them, they could mould the world to their liking.

"We have to stop what they're doing Diana. I can survive without the agency." "I know, but I have worked too hard to see it crumble to nothing because of a few immoral people." I sighed, I was convinced Perry had learnt some of her stubbornness from Diana.

"I doubt they will take me back anyway after disobeying them again." I glanced down at my phone, Peregrine was still in the town centre. It had been two hours now, she had been due to be back for this meeting with Diana. I frowned at the device as Diana continued.

"No, that agent was right you know. They didn't want to kill you." I snorted.

"Just Peregrine." It was Diana's turn to sigh.

"I know you two come as a package deal now. You're loyal to a fault once you take a liking to someone, I should know." I heard her chuckle fondly. "Just be mindful about what your relationship with her says to others." I frowned at the laptop as if she could see me.

"So there are rumours. We couldn't be more different, why are people drawing that conclusion?"

"You know what they say about opposites 47." Her tone was dry as she replied, like she was trying hard not to laugh. I chose to ignore her pointed comment and continue discussing our options.

"If half the agency are trying to stop us we're going to need support when we try and infiltrate Satu Mare." Diana sensed my desire to shift away from the subject of my feelings towards Perry. I was still trying to make sense of them myself, let alone discussing it with my normally aloof ex-handler.

"We are doing our best 47. Myself and Mahone are stilled holed up on the Jean Danjou but we are getting further and further into the ICA's systems. No doubt we would be making quicker progress if Peregrine was helping but I am aware that would jeopardise your position to them." I shrugged.

"At this point I think it's fairly obvious what we are doing. I can discuss it with her later, we may be able to find a secure location to help." My eyes fell on the small grey microchip Constantin had given to me. "We need to find a way to disable this microchip too. From the way Constantin was talking there are going to be a lot of clones trying to stop us destroying them." Diana hummed in agreement.

"I will look for anything referring to it in the ICA system, but I am sure they will have hide it well." I touched the unassuming grey square of plastic tentatively. I had a feeling this tiny piece of technology was the key to a lot of this, it sounded more powerful than any super human clone in my mind. For a moment I wondered what it would be like if I had one of those things inserted in my head. Similar to being a brainwashed, genetically obedient slave like my old brothers, but with a self-destruct button I imagined.

"Let us know what you find, and be careful Diana." There was a hesitation in her voice as she replied.

"Thank…you. I will and be careful yourself 47." With that she ended the transmission. My brow creased as I registered her surprise at my sudden concern for her welfare. Why had I said that? The effects of having prolonged contact with Perry, was beginning to show.

Twenty minutes later she came back from her trip to town. I turned as the apartment door opened, Perry glanced at me as she dumped a load of bags on the floor.

"Sorry, my limited Romanian slowed me down a bit." She gestured towards the laptop she had left open. "Did she call?" I nodded at her, and she let out her breath in an annoyed huff. "Shit. Has she found out who is behind the project yet?"

"She suspects the Director is." Perry's eyes widened.

"Right…well, that's not good news." She bent down and moved the bags into the small kitchen off from the main room. After a few minutes she remerged and came to stand beside me. I watched as she gently picked up the microchip, she turned it from side to side, scrutinising it. "Amazing, how something so small can be so dangerous." She looked down at me echoing what I had just thought, her brown eyes serious. "But that's usually the way isn't it."

I raised one eyebrow at her and she gave me a small humourless smile. I didn't say anything as she moved over to the chair opposite me and placed the laptop in front of her. I watched, fascinated as she connected the microchip to the laptop via two thin cables. Her fingers flew across the keyboard for a few seconds before she let out a long, low whistle.

"Jesus, this thing is hard core." Clasping my hands together I leant towards her. The tip of her tongue was stuck out in concentration; I waited patiently for her verdict. After a few more minutes she leant back in her chair and placed a hand on her forehead. "Yeah, this is not good. It has firewalls and encryptions up the wazoo." She looked up at me, her expression worried.

"This may take a while."

…

The corridor was familiar as I walked down it. It was lit with a dull green light, the walls bland, the floor tiled. It looked like it belonged in a hospital, but I knew better. I had grown up here, and the dread that filled me was as strong as it was back then. I couldn't move faster than a slow walk, I looked down and saw my silenced pistol clasped in one of my hands.

I kept on moving forward until I came set of large glass doors leading into a chamber of some kind. I had been here before, the last time the doors on the other side had been locked but this time there were open for me to continue through. I knew what or who was ahead, but I couldn't stop my feet from advancing towards the inevitable. I heard him before I saw him.

"Welcome…welcome home my son." I entered a white abyss, a vast room of nothingness except for a loan figure lying on the floor in front of me. He was an elderly man in a Doctor's coat. A pool of vivid red blood was seeping out from underneath him. I walked closer, his eyes stared blankly up, his mouth slack but the voice of Doctor Ort-Meyer continued in my head. "I know you want me dead my boy, and I forgive you. But let me tell you, dying is the last thing I plan to do. You wouldn't believe what my experiments in re-combinant DNA have made possible!"

Slowly I knelt down next to my dead creator, the viscous blood sticking to my shoes. Gently, as I had done all those year ago I lowered my gloved hand over his face and carefully closed his eyes. The corpse suddenly came to life, grabbing my hand. Instantly I tried to free myself from it, pulling away with all my strength but the corpse of the Doctor had an iron grip I couldn't break. I stared into his suddenly wide, glassy eyes, his mouth twisting into a gruesome smile as he choked on the words he was trying to say to me.

"You see, I told you son. You'll never be free of me, never!" I raised my pistol and emptied the clip into his head in an attempt to silence the cackling madman. He only laughed louder, his hand tightening further on mine. I gritted my teeth as I felt my bones cracking under the strength of his grip. He slid his free hand into his blood stained coat and withdrew a syringe. I felt the needle pierce my neck and I jolted upright as he pushed the plunger down.

I could still hear his laughter echoing in my ears as the sweat beaded on my forehead. The room was empty, the sky outside still dark. I had had a nightmare. Sitting up on my bed I rubbed my face, clearing the rest of the dream from my mind. I couldn't remember the last time I had had such a vivid vision of my past, usually my mind was blank as I slept. I took a few steadying breaths, trying to get my heart rate down. There was no use getting scared of phantoms when there could be a very real danger closing in on us.

I got up, I wasn't going back to sleep now, and stretched. I ran through some exercises trying to clear my head of the ghost of my creator. We had been here over a week now, with little progress to show for it. Being so close to my former home was making my mood deteriorate. Peregrine had learnt to keep her distance from me for most of the time, which in an ironic turn of events put me in an even worse mood. I finished doing my push ups, my calm restored somewhat, but I was still restless. Glancing at the clock in the bedroom I saw it was 4am, still a few hours until Perry got up usually. Slipping quietly into the shared bathroom in the apartment, I showered and got dressed being careful not to wake her.

We had settled into a routine of living together, I got up before dawn usually and was normally out of the apartment doing my assessment of the surrounding area while she got up and ready. Every day I checked the perimeter for any sign of the agency or even Cicada trying to follow us. There was nothing, it was beginning to disturb me. Perry would usually spend most of the day trying to hack into the microchip, she had had a few break through but nothing substantial. In the afternoon we would go through what little I could remember about the layout and security in the Asylum, but as I had told her on multiple occasions things had probably changed since I was last there.

I buttoned up my shirt and rolled the sleeves up to the elbow. It was earlier than usual and I decided to do some target practice to relieve my built up tension. Whenever I talked about Satu Mare to Perry, even though I knew it was benefiting the mission, I got uncomfortable and grumpy. Some of the things I had told her I hadn't even told Diana, and she had been around when I had discovered the details of my past. There was just something about that wide-eyed expression of hers when I went into the gory intricacies of my childhood that made me uneasy.

I adjusted my holster and inserted my silenced pistol into it. Shrugging on my suit jacket to cover it, I silently left the apartment and made my way downstairs. We had chosen an apartment complex on the outskirts of Marghita; it made it easier to spot suspicious activity. There were only two other people living in the block and surrounding area was mainly rundown houses and a large scrap yard next door to us. I strode to the yard now. It was owned by a fairly relaxed Romanian man, I had been here once before to let off my frustration at being stationary for so long. I had spoken to him in quick, unbroken Romanian and he had smiled a gap toothed smile, gesturing towards his impressive collection of broken cars.

"Fii oaspete, arăți ca un bărbat care îți permite să lase niște aburi." _Be my guest, you look like a man who could afford to let off some steam._ I given him a fake smile back and spent a good three hours shooting holes in his various dilapidated vehicles. I was certain he wouldn't mind me taking the liberty again. After all it was hard to refuse a man who could hit a tail light dead centre at a few hundred paces.

The dawn light was starting to strengthen, casting the yard in an ethereal glow. A slight mist was floating around the piles of cars; good, it would provide a challenge at least. I picked my spot and took my suit jacket it off, hanging it on a nearby car's wing mirror. The chilly morning air felt good through my shirt, it made my senses alert and focused on the task at hand. I un-holstered my pistol and checked the clip. Satisfied, I levelled my gaze at the row of cars a hundred feet away. Choosing my target I raised my pistol and looked down it, taking a breath to steady my hand I squeezed the trigger. The silenced shot whistled from the gun, I heard a metallic ping as it connected with the old Mercedes badge I had aimed for. The circular piece of metal snapped off from the front of the car and landed on the dirt with a muted thud.

I continued my target practice, systematically dismantling the rusting cars bullet by bullet. I wasn't aware of time passing, I was just revelling in the feeling of being outside, but eventually I noticed the mist clearing and sky lightening until the targets weren't such a challenge to see anymore. I was just shooting the hubcap of an old BMW when I became aware of someone watching me quietly from behind. It was a familiar presence so I wasn't alarmed, lowering my gun I turned to face Peregrine who was perched on the front of a Beetle, a small half smile on her face.

"Having fun?" My mouth twitched at her light, easy tone. She had done a good job sneaking up on me.

"You're getting quieter." I praised in a low voice. Her cheeks flushed slightly at the compliment, but she quickly shrugged and jumped off the car, sauntering towards me.

"Well I have been taking a lot of tips from you." She folded her arms as she surveyed the damaged I had caused. "Stressed huh? What did these cars ever do to you?" She gave me a sideways look, her eyes twinkling with humour. I ejected the spent clip from my pistol and slotted in a new one with a click. She eyed me warily as I held the gun out to her grip first.

"Seeing as you're here, might as well get some practice." She grimaced as she took the gun off of me, not as scared as the first time she had held one but still unsure. With an expert eye I regarded her as she gripped the slider, sliding it back and pushing the first bullet into the chamber. She looked at me then, expectantly.

"What should I shoot?" I pointed at a row of discarded beer bottles not far from us. She spread her feet apart slightly and lifted the gun to eye level with both hands. My mouth drew up in a half smile as I watched her eyebrows furrow in concentration, her finger curling around the trigger. The bullet hit its mark, the bottle shattering into a thousands, glittering pieces. Her head whipped towards me, a massive grin covering her face from ear to ear. "First time! Did you see that?"

I kept my face carefully blank, not wanting to encourage her over confidence. "Very good. Now try it with one hand." She gave me disbelieving look.

"I can barely do it with two, I wont be able to keep my hand steady if I'm only holding with one." I rolled my eyes to the sky and took her arm holding the pistol, raising it so it was level with her face.

"Turn your stance to the side." She obliged, I held her arm still as she looked down it at the bottles. Slowly I let go, the gun wobbled alarmingly as she supported the weight of it on her own.

"See. I'm not going to be able to hit anything." I let out an exasperated sigh.

"You're not always going to have the luxury of positioning yourself dead in front of your target, with both hands free to hold your gun. Learning to shoot one handed will increase your ability to adapt to any situation." She flashed me a dry look.

"Gee, thanks for that. Still doesn't stop my hand shaking." She was beginning to lose patience with me, but I would rather she be grumpy and alive than unprepared and dead. Suddenly those moments of watching her with the camera I had given her as cover appeared in my mind's eye.

"Pretend you're taking a photo." The look she gave me now was confused.

"What?"

"Take a breath to steady your hand, like you do when you're taking a photo." I explained calmly. Understanding dawned on her face, and I saw the trace of a smile as she turned her attention back to the bottles. She took in a slow breath and held it as she squeezed the trigger again.

A second bottle smashed as the bullet shot through it. This time she let her breath out in a rush, the gun falling to her side. "Wow, look at that." She turned to me her expression surprised, I felt my mouth pull up in a smile.

"See, you can do it." We shared the small victory in silence for a moment. Then Perry handed the gun back to me and took a step back.

"So I might have managed to hack the microchip." I raised an eyebrow at her quizzically. She rubbed a hand over her face, I could see the dark circles under her eyes now. Had she been up all night? "I can disable the chip for a short time, roughly about ten minutes but it kicks me out after that. The other rub is that I can only hack one chip at a time."

"Is there anyway you can increase that number?" She shook her head wearily.

"Not with the limited setup I have here. Even with a proper terminal I might only be able to do two at a time. These things take a lot of juice to override." I looked away, thinking through our options.

"We need to have control of them, otherwise someone will be able to coordinate an attack against us when we enter the Asylum." I locked eyes with her again. "We should inform Diana, see if she can help us somehow." Perry nodded slowly, but her expression wasn't hopeful. She walked away, kicking at an old car absentmindedly.

"You're worried about going back there aren't you?" Her voice was quiet, but I heard her unease at asking me. I paused, wondering how to phrase my answer.

"Yes." She waited patiently for me to continue. My short answer wasn't going to be enough for her I knew. "I don't have many happy memories of that place. It was the first place I ever knew and I had hoped I would never see it again." She nodded, her expression understanding, but I doubted whether anyone could really understand what my childhood had been like. Maybe with the exception of whatever clones where currently being held in the Asylum.

I retrieved my suit jacket and shrugged it back on, with the intention to walk my usual perimeter now that Peregrine was awake. As I started to leave the yard, Perry called after me, her voice light but a little nervous.

"Wait! I almost forgot." I paused, letting her jog over to me. She was reaching into jeans pocket, I watched as she produced a small brown parcel and handed it to me. Tentatively I took it, turning it over in my hands.

"What is it?" Perry snorted.

"It's a birthday present." I looked up at her sharply, she grinned at me. "It's the 5th of September. Did you think I'd forgotten?" I stared down at the parcel in my hand. I had never remembered my birthday, let alone received a present. Slowly I unwrapped the brown paper and tipped a red Swiss army knife into my hand.

"I got it when I was out the other day." Perry beamed at me, her eyes creasing. I pulled the various parts of the knife apart, there was a three-inch knife with a serrated edge, a pair of pliers, a corkscrew and a flint for starting a fire. I fixed her with a confused stare; she continued to smile at me. "My Dad always says you're never truly prepared unless you have a Swiss army knife. He gave me one on my 18th before I left for Uni." I carefully closed the knife back up and gave her a half smile.

"Do you think he's right?" She laughed, the sound bouncing off the derelict cars around us.

"Well judging by the way my life has turned out, there was no way I could have prepared for it. But it's nice to know I've got it…just in case." Her expression turned nostalgic. "Anyway, happy creation day. I know it isn't much but you're kind of hard to buy for." She gave me a cheeky grin and began to walk back to the apartment. My chest felt tight, a warm sensation flooding through it. I followed her, keeping pace with her walk.

"Do you think he would approve of his daughter running around Europe with a killer?" The sound of her laugh made the sensation in my chest intensify.

"I think he'd stab you with that knife I just gave you." I gave her an expressionless look. "I'll see if I can increase that disable time, you go check the perimeter." She winked at me and dashed into the apartment block. I stared after her for a minute, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. Peregrine had always had a knack for making me forget I was different, she had remembered my birthday from one throwaway conversation we had had weeks ago. I rubbed a finger over the smooth, red surface of the Swiss army knife, then placed it in the inside pocket of my suit jacket.

…

"There are thirty active chips in that Asylum." Perry cursed loudly in the corner of the room.

"For fuck's sake." Diana paused at her outburst. I gave her a warning look; she simply glared back at me.

"I'm assuming your efforts to hack the microchip aren't progressing." I knew Diana well enough to know when she was annoyed, but I also knew Perry well enough to know she didn't care right now. She ground her teeth at her mentor's comment, I raised my eyebrows trying to dissuade her comeback.

"Correct. I am struggling to get it above ten minutes and still only one at a time." I nodded at my handler, pleased with her self-control. Diana sighed.

"As you can understand Peregrine my resources at this time are limited. Even so there were never really enough hackers with your skill at the agency. We will have to think of an alternative." I frowned at the laptop.

"We have been waiting long enough Diana, I am uncomfortable leaving this any longer." My nerves were almost spent, staying still for a whole week with someone in close quarters with me

"Then I think you'll have to go with your plan B 47." I could feel Perry's anger from across the room. Swiftly I decided to end the call before my handler and my ex started having a set to.

"We'll let you know when we plan to move." I pressed a button on the keyboard and the line went dead.

"No." Perry was glaring at me. "We can't." I shook my head, my patience was thin today and I didn't want to take my frustration out on her.

"She has a point Perry. We need to end this." She stood up her fists clenched.

"I thought we agreed we wouldn't go down this route. It's not their fault they were made." My patience was well and truly gone; I stood up too glowering down at her.

"I've done this before, it's the only way to stop the project. If we can't control the chips then we will just have to destroy them." Just as she opened her mouth to protest further, a loud ping came from the laptop next to me. We both stopped and looked down at the computer. Peregrine walked over, her expression now a mixture of confusion and fear.

"Someone has messaged me on my website." She said, her voice wavering. Turning the laptop to her she bent over it, tapping away on the keyboard. I watched her, unsure what was happening. She paused, her eyes darting back and forth as she read something. Then her face turned white and she looked up at me, unconcealed terror on her face. Instantly I was by her side, peering down at the laptop, trying to see the cause of her fright.

"What is it?" I scanned the page but was unsure what I was looking for.

"It's them." Her voice was small and distant as I zeroed in on a small window open on the desktop. "They've found us again." Perry buried her face in hands.

The window had a few lines of text in it, but I ignored them as the small, obvious symbol of a Cicada drew my eye at the bottom of the message.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry for the extended delay on this one, I was on holiday and wanted to get this one right. Hope you enjoy, as always reviews are the life blood of this story, they spur me on so leave a comment. :)**

Chapter19 

_Greetings pilgrims,_

 _It seems you have lost your way on the road to enlightenment._

 _We are eager to see your journey complete, and so offer you the hand of friendship. In return for a small favour of course._

 _The power these people wield is far beyond any mortal should have. Let us join forces to vanquish this evil together._

 _We are waiting…and watching._

 _Cicada 3301_

"I'm sure I covered our tracks. I would have known if they'd got into the laptop." Perry was still pacing back and forth in front of me. My eyes followed her movement, but the rest of me was still as stone. I was just as unsettled as she was, but I knew showing it wouldn't help us any more than her pacing would. "What do you think they want?" She paused in her mission to wear down the carpet and looked at me.

I shrugged after a second of thought, "It's hard to say, but I'm wary of their sudden desire for a truce." Perry regarded me in silence; I could almost hear the cogs turning in her head.

"I mean…if anyone could help me hack those microchips it would probably be them, but I just don't think we can trust them." I stared out of the window; the sun was beginning to set on the horizon; another day, no closer to our target. I let out a long sigh not letting Perry's jittery mood rub off on me.

"We should inform Diana." She recoiled as if I'd slapped her. I kept eye contact with her, unflinching under her hurt expression.

"Don't you trust my opinion?" I could see the strain the last few weeks had put on her, the dark circles under her eyes had become a permanent fixture now.

"Letting Diana know Cicada are aware of our intentions is the logical thing to do." Her mouth stretched into a thin line, and she stared me down for a few minutes.

"Fine. You do it." She waved a hand at her laptop and turned away. I took a breath in, controlling my annoyance at her attitude towards all this. We needed to finish this, even though I didn't like the sound of accepting Cicada's help as much as she did, it was still an option I felt we should look at. She kept her back to me as I opened up the ICA program on the laptop again; I quickly sent a message to Diana and waited patiently for her call.

…

I carefully adjusted the focus on my scope as Perry walked across the empty expanse of the parking lot. I saw her eyes flick up to my position, an angry glint in them as she kept a steady pace. Diana had listened to our new information without interrupting; I had made sure to point out my reservations for accepting the offer. There had been a lengthy pause before my former handler had surprised us both with her verdict.

"It appears to me we have little choice but to accept." Peregrine had stared open mouthed at the laptop for a full minute before glaring at me pointedly. "Do you really think that is wise?" I had replied to the computer evenly. Diana sighed heavily on the other end, I tried to ignore my handler's outraged expression as she struggled to keep quiet.

"They will be able to help Perry disable the microchips, of that I am certain. And if we can shut down this rogue cell's operations without destroying the subjects I would prefer that. Once we have succeeded we can sever ties with Cicada and hopefully understand more about them in the process." Her logic was sound, but I still didn't trust this slippery bunch of hackers. They were smart, smart enough to trick Perry, so I was sure siding with them, no matter how good the cause, was a mistake we were going to regret.

We had discussed the pros and cons back and forth for a while before Diana finally said, "I am no longer suggesting you accept their offer 47, I am ordering you to." Perry had shaken her head in dismay at this, and I had stared blankly at the laptop. As much as I valued Perry's intelligence and natural instinct, Diana had earned my complete trust a long time ago and so I had agreed, out numbering Perry's protest two to one.

The sniper rifle sat heavy in my arms, I shifted slightly to keep the feeling in my limbs. I was positioned on top of the tall office building the parking lot belonged to. It was early in the morning, around 3:30am so the office workers hadn't started coming in yet. There was a lone cleaner inside the building and I had made sure they weren't parked anywhere near the meeting place we had arranged.

I had been surprised when Cicada had insisted we meet face to face to discuss terms. For a group built on the accessibility online it seemed like an archaic method. They had asked that only Perry meet with them, but I wasn't about to let her out of my sight after last few times I had left her to her own devices. I was certain whoever was meeting her wouldn't see me, although if Perry kept glancing at me like she was that might change.

She had reached the middle of the vast field of tarmac; she looked too small and exposed for my liking. "Looks like I'm early." I heard her mutter in my earpiece. She was wearing the microphone I usually wore for contracts so I could hear as well as see the exchange that was about to take place. Every fibre of my being wished I was standing there instead of her, but the comforting weight of my sniper reassured me that if anything did happen I would be able to defend my handler.

She folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for whoever was coming to meet her. She had been in a fowl mood with me since Diana ended the call earlier; I seemed to be the scapegoat for Perry's frustration at her mentor. Usually her grumpiness would have irritated me, but I found myself strangely tolerant of her behaviour, even checking her out of the corner of my eye as we drove here assessing her mood. My changing attitude towards her was still deeply troubling to me, and I could feel the present she had given me yesterday burning into my chest from the inside pocket of my suit jacket.

Movement at the far end of the parking lot jolted me to attention, and I trained my sniper scope on where I had seen it. Two figures were approaching Peregrine from the opposite side of the lot. My whole body tensed in surprised anger, so they had insisted Perry come alone but had sent two people to meet her. The unfair disadvantage made me bristle, thankfully we had ignored their request and I gently moved my finger around the trigger experimentally. As the people advanced on Perry I realised I recognised them. My lip curled as I registered the short, dark skin figure of Olivia Hall, her hoodie zipped up against the morning cold, a nervous expression on her slim face. The other was the tall, skinny bespectacled man that had also been accompanying Celina Petrovic in Serbia. I had wondered why he had been hanging around a Serbian gangster when he looked like he belonged in an accounting office.

Peregrine visibly tensed when the pair had got close enough for her to see their features. I noticed she was staring alertly at the man, barely glancing at Hall. So she recognised him too, an itching curiosity at the back of my mind asked where she had encountered him before. Hall and the man slowed to a standstill about five feet from Perry, they regarded each other across the gap in tense silence for a moment before the man's face split into a grin and he strode forward offering his hand to Perry.

My finger tightened on the trigger at his sudden proximity to her, she glared at the hand for a moment before adjusting her defensive stance, her arms remaining resolutely crossed. My sneer turned into a small smirk at her defiance towards him. Eventually the man dropped his hand but his grin stayed in place. His demeanour was completely different to the nervous, twitching man I had observed in the nightclub.

"Good Morning Morgan, I am so glad you agreed to our little truce." His accent was American and he spoke with a clear, confident voice that was easily picked up by the microphone Perry was wearing. She raised an eyebrow at him sardonically and glanced at Hall who was stood meekly behind him.

"I don't like being outnumbered, who's the girl?" The man turned to look at Hall behind him briefly before smiling reassuringly at Perry.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about her, she is one of our best and brightest hackers. Merely here to see what we're dealing with. I want to ensure you're happy with our abilities before you commit to our terms." Perry's brow furrowed as she frowned at the girl flicking nervous glances at her.

"Fine, and just so we're clear we haven't agreed to any truce…yet." The man's smile turned into a smirk.

"We're clear. My head is still hurting from our last encounter, I assure you I intend to stay on your good side today Morgan." I frowned at his comment; I wondered what my handler had done to this man the last time they met. Perry snorted and slowly unfolded her arms.

"First things first, you know my name but I didn't catch yours." The man nodded.

"Indeed, where are my manners? My name is Michael and this is Olivia." He gestured behind him at Hall, she gave Perry a quick nod.

"No last names?" Michael shook his head, an apologetic expression on his face.

"I'm sorry Morgan, first names only. You and I both know the power of having someone's full name when it comes to the Internet." I saw Perry's mouth tighten.

"Yes, you know mine and I can't seem to get rid of you." There was a sour edge to her tone, and I mentally warned her not to get too aggressive with them. If we could avoid this breaking out into violence it would be better, I wasn't in the mood for another hospital visit. However, this Michael didn't seem like the violent type, there was an ominous intelligence to him that posed a very different threat. His smile was back as he chuckled at Perry's response.

"Quite, you can't begrudge us our leverage can you? It's got us to this happy medium now." He spread his hands, indicating the meeting they were now having. I could see Perry losing patience with his false friendliness fast. _Stay calm, don't show your hand,_ I ordered silently.

"Happy indeed. You've offered to help, why?" Michael paused for a moment, his brow furrowing as he thought his answer through. I was just as intrigued as to why this group, who we had been picking off one by one, suddenly wanted to assist in a fight that wasn't theirs.

"We want the same thing in the end." I saw a surprised expression flash across Perry's face; Michael smiled at the reaction. "Cicada's aim is to restore balance to society. For too long the elite has ruled over the population, what the agency is creating is a power far greater than any one person deserves. We want to ensure science and technology is used for the benefit of all, and not to tip the scales unfairly." His logic was sound, but I still wasn't convinced this group's intentions were completely honest. It seemed Peregrine thought the same, as she smiled humourlessly at Michael.

"I wish I could believe you, but you killed my friend and threatened me." Michael shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm afraid that was necessary. You could have joined us but you chose to side with an antiquated, elitist organisation. Our methods were justified." Perry's hands balled into tight fists at her side. _Breathe Perry._ She took a steadying breath and loosened them almost immediately. _Good girl._

"So what are the terms? What is it you want from us?" Michael's expression turned serious, and he glanced at Hall who tentatively inched closer so she was standing next to him.

"We want anonymity. We want the agency to forget about us once this is over." Perry and I gave out a mocking snort simultaneously. My mouth twitched in amusement at our synchronisation.

"You've got to be kidding. You tried to infiltrate them, they aren't just going to let you walk away." Michael remained unsmiling.

"They only reason we tried that was to stop this project. Once it is done there will be no need for us to bother you again." Perry raised one eyebrow in an alarmingly similar manner to me.

"You expect me to believe that bullshit? You're stupider than you look." He held up his hands.

"I am merely the messenger Morgan. This promise has come from someone with more authority than me, you have our word that we will behave once the clones are stopped and the microchip dealt with…in the proper way." Perry looked down, her stance unsure now. After an uncomfortable moment of silence she looked up at Michael.

"I still don't understand why you couldn't stop this on your own. You knew about the clones before I did, I found out about the project from you." Michael's face softened, and he smiled at Perry.

"We needed you. You are one of the best hackers we have seen in a long time." I watched in fascination as Hall flashed a hurt glance at him, her next look at Peregrine was one of unconcealed contempt. "We knew our best bet of breaking into the microchips was you, and with your highly skilled and tenacious attack dog to guard you, we knew you'd be the one to bring this whole disgusting endeavour to its knees." I tensed in annoyance at his insulting remark. I wasn't anyone's dog. "All we will provide is the man power and the computer systems capable of disabling multiple chips simultaneously." I was uneasy about how much they knew about our progress, they must have been listening somehow. I felt a sudden sense of doubt; how long had they been watching, and why hadn't I spotted them?

Perry nodded once, her expression still unsure but she began to reach into her jean pocket. Slowly she produced a USB and held it out to Michael. A slow smile spread across his face as he looked down at the unassuming memory stick in her palm. "The schematics for the microchip are on there. I've pinpointed the way to take down the firewalls and encryptions, once through you should be able to target individual chips and shut them down temporarily."

Michael plucked the USB from Perry's hand and tossed it to Hall next to him. She caught it and stared down at it, flicking an annoyed look at Perry. "Thank you my dear. Olivia will be in charge of instructing the hackers our end, just say the word and we'll do the deed." Perry nodded slowly, I could see she was eager to end this distasteful conversation.

"I'll use my encrypted messenger. I'm sure you know which one I mean due to all your snooping." At this last comment she switched her stare to Hall, the other girl looked momentarily taken aback by Peregrine's sudden attention, but the surprise soon turned to a hostile glare. Michael chuckled at the two girl's silent stare down.

"We are aware, thank you Morgan." Perry turned her gaze back to Michael. "Any ideas when you're likely to move?" Her eyes narrowed at the question.

"Like I said…I'll message." I smirked at her evasive answer. The ICA had trained her well. He stared at her, his expression a carefully placed mask of patience. I didn't like this man one bit; he reeked of someone more powerful than he appeared, I could see it in his stance.

"As you wish. I do hope we never meet again Morgan, for your sake." And with that final threatening comment he turned on his heel and began to walk away. Hall dithered for a second, her eyes still locked on Perry, before she eventually turned and trotted off behind the man. I followed their progress with my scope, aware that Perry was stood still watching their retreat too.

Neither of them looked back once and eventually they disappeared from view. I returned my scope to focus on Perry; she was still stood in place her hands balled into her fists by her side again. After a minute I saw her body sag as she let out a long breathe.

"They're gone." I knew she was talking to me now, her voice was low and wobbling slightly from her built up adrenaline. "I just hope we've done the right thing." She walked backwards a few paces, keeping her eyes locked onto the place where they had vanished, before swivelling and striding off towards the Audi parked around the corner. I watched her small figure walk away to safety before taking my eye away from the scope. Even though I knew she couldn't hear me, I uttered in a quiet voice, "Me too."

…

We planned to move at dawn. With the help of Cicada we could go with plan A and infiltrate the Asylum with hopefully minimal risk. After being stuck in this place for over a week we were both eager to move on. I was aware however, of Peregrine's highly tense state. Ever since Diana's order to accept Cicada's help, she had been pacing around the living area of the apartment whenever she wasn't pinned down by the laptop. I was watching her now, my eyes moving back and forth as she muttered to herself.

She was looking at the crudely drawn floor plan I had helped create from my restricted memories. My building unease at returning to my place of creation was growing harder and harder to manage. The more I spent time with Perry the thicker I had to build the wall that was constantly keeping my inconvenient emotions at bay. I had always had them, my creator had never failed to point out my flaws, I had just learnt to control them. I remained still as she continued to talk in a low, fast voice.

"Four floors, one elevator, security system controlled from the third floor, no external access, only manual override." It was late evening, I was conscious she needed to sleep before our next mission and her current activity wasn't helping.

"You need rest." My voice cut through her cycle, and she skidded to a halt in front of me her eyes wide but tired. A strong urge to reach out and pull her to me overwhelmed my senses; I wrestled it back behind the wall and waited for her to respond.

"I-I don't think I can." She stuttered uncertainly at me. I reached out and extracted the floor plan from her grasp. She watched me in a daze as I placed it on the table and stared at her sternly.

"You know the plan Peregrine. We've gone over it enough. The best thing you can do now is renew your strength." She looked at me, the tension evident on her face. Finally I saw her muscles relax and she nodded wearily.

"You're right. I better try at least." She rubbed a hand over her face and turned to go towards her bedroom. She stopped before she entered and looked back at me thoughtfully. "I never thought to ask, are you okay?" I blinked at her, uncomprehending for a moment as I assessed myself for visible signs of damage or fatigue, before I realised she was asking about my mental state.

As soon as I landed on that conclusion I answered simply, "Of course." I was always okay; nothing ever shook me. Perry didn't seem convinced though.

"Really? Because we're going back to somewhere you don't really like to talk about much." My brow furrowed at her persistent concern.

"I've been back before, to kill my creator. If I managed then…alone, I can manage now." A sad look came into her eyes.

"I can't imagine you as a child you know. Especially one that grew up like you did. Do you think they'll be children there tomorrow?"

"It's likely." Her gaze dropped down to her feet.

"That's horrible. Having to grow up somewhere like that, with no parents." Her voice was thick with emotion as she cleared her throat, and flashed me a wobbly grin. "That reminds me, it's been a while since I checked in on mine." I gave her a warning look and she raised her eyebrows back at me. "Don't worry. I won't give away our location."

At this she slipped into her bedroom and I was left alone with my thoughts. I stared at her closed door as I went through the plan in my head, I wasn't sure what we were going to find in that Asylum but I was sure it wasn't going to be good. In an ideal world I would go it alone, as I always did, with Perry at a safe distance. There was no way she was going to agree to that though, not after everything we'd been through.

Sighing, I turned my attention to my pistol. I felt a sense of calm settling over me as I cleaned my weapon in the knowledge that I would be leaving this apartment at first light. I was an hour into my methodical task when I heard a gut-wrenching cry and a loud crash coming from Perry's bedroom. Instantly I was on my feet and yanking the door to her room open, my pistol raised ready to take out the attacker that had managed to enter through the window. But there was no attacker; there was only Perry bent over, her hands on the far wall, her nails visibly digging into the plaster. The laptop lay in pieces nearby from where she had clearly flung it against the wall.

"What happened?" I asked coolly, slightly annoyed that she had cried out and broken out only computer with nothing wrong but gradually I became aware of the strange keening sound she was making, her shoulders shuddering. "Perry?" This time my voice was a little more uncertain. I stood stock-still, already sure this was going to a situation I would struggle to handle.

Slowly she raised her head and turned to look at me. Tears streamed down her face, and it was twisted in a horrific, pained expression. Instinctually I scanned her body for signs of injury, there was none but my extended exposure to normal human emotions had taught me that not all injuries were external. As if to highlight this thought a sharp stab hit my abdomen at the anguished look in her brown eyes.

"They're gone." Her voice was tight as the tears kept flowing down her cheeks. "They're fucking dead!" Her voice kicked up a decibel. A coldness swept through me as it clicked what she was talking about.

"How?" I tried to keep my voice even and calm, hoping it would soothe her but her face contorted further as that strange keening came from her again.

"They were driving back to their villa in Italy, and a lorry veered into their lane. Apparently it was instant and a complete accident, the hospital has been trying to reach me for three days but obviously…" She indicated our current surroundings, indicating that of course no one would be able to find her until she decided to check in on her parents.

"Are you sure it was an accident?" The question was logical, considering our profession but her looked turned deadly.

"Of course. The only people who knew where they would be are Cicada and maybe Diana, and currently neither one of those would have reason to…k-kill them." She choked out the last part, her hands balling into tight fists. "In some ways, that's worse." I looked at her quizzically. "Think about it, even with the all the danger I face, even with all the resources I have they still died from a tragic accident and there was nothing I could do."

She drove her clenched fists into her eyes, in an effort to stem the tears, and she let out huge racking sobs as the grief began to consume her. I watched on, unable to process what to do. Eventually her sobs grew in volume until they were ear-splitting screams and suddenly she was destroying the room around me. I let her vent her frustrated anger on the inanimate objects, but when she turned her attention from the furniture to the walls my hand flashed out and grabbed her wrists firmly. She struggled against me, her face turning red from her anger and her tears. I was afraid she would hurt herself if I let her continue, so kept my grip firm. This only focused her anger on me.

"Let go of me!" When I didn't respond her struggling increased and her eyes flashed dangerously at me through the tears. "I said let go 47!"

"No." She let out a defiant scream at my curt reply, and I watched as she tried to break free.

Her animalistic response to her parent's death was something I had never witnessed before. I had never really experienced loss; my creator had died but I had been responsible for that. The closest I had come to it was when Father Vittorio had been kidnapped but I had managed to get him back unharmed. Even Diana who I had shot had been fine; no, I couldn't relate to what I was witnessing currently with my distraught handler. I was out of my depth.

Her struggles were weakening and I slowly released my iron grip on her wrists. With her hands suddenly freed she renewed her aggressive attack but this time on me. Perry began to beat at my chest, it didn't hurt and I stood unflinching looking down at her as she tried to take her misery out on something. I felt a tightening knot of something I couldn't place constricting my chest, as I her screams of rage gradually turned into desperate sobs. Her fists ceased their useless assault on me, instead gripping my shirt tightly in both hands she buried her face against me, letting herself succumb to her grief.

That was all it took for my carefully built wall to finally come down, and the feelings I had been fighting towards her came flooding to the surface. I gasped under the strength of the emotions washing over me. I felt absolutely powerless; this girl meant more to me than any person I had met before and there was nothing I could do to stem the flow of misery and pain taking her over. Nothing except for one thing.

Perry's tears were soaking through my shirt, I could feel the dampness on the skin of my chest beneath. Her hands were still clutching my clothes, clinging on to me like she needed me for support. Her face was burrowed into me, her cries vibrated through my body as I reached into my trouser pocket. Slowly I withdrew a syringe containing a strong sedative and deftly inserted it into her neck. She let out a shocked gasp then her cries faded abruptly, I quickly wound my arms around her and sank to the floor as she collapsed, finally peaceful.

My emotions didn't lessen with the quiet, if anything they intensified as I held her warm, limp body against mine. Her face was still red and swollen from her distress, the remnants of her rage scattered on the floor around us. I marvelled at how I wasn't repulsed by the close physical contact, to the contrary I wanted to grip her tighter to me and never let go. I had never shown strong emotions to anyone, and even now after finally succumbing to my true feelings towards my handler, I couldn't express them to a conscious Peregrine.

An intense sense of anger and frustration welled up inside of me as I realised this was all I could offer her, a moment of quiet release. Even with all of my skill and prowess, I couldn't bring her parents back. The wave of emotion peaked and I lowered my head, resting my forehead gently against hers. Breathing in the scent of her soft, brown hair, I managed to choke out in a voice full of sadness my lament at her loss.

"Oh Morgan, I'm so sorry." And I stayed there, holding her to me until the dawn light started to leak through the window.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Peregrine was completely silent as I drove towards Satu Mare and the Asylum. We were behind schedule as I had had to wait for the sedative to wear off, and I was driving faster than I normally would to compensate. I wasn't annoyed though; usually anything that jeopardised the mission would give me an itching, uneasy sensation but all I felt was that heavy lead weight again in my stomach.

I glanced over at my companion; she was staring out of the window, her chin resting in her hand. She had been in the same position since she had listlessly sat in the passenger seat nearly an hour ago. It was a completely different person to the one I had encountered a few hours earlier, tearing her room apart and trying to punch me. She had offered no resistance once she had come round to my gentle but persistent herding towards the car. Neither had she mentioned her parents' recent death or my less than ideal handling of the situation. It wasn't the best scenario for approaching a potentially deadly mission, but after going over our options again and again while I waited for Perry to wake, I had summarised it was better to strike as planned. If we waited any longer I was sure we would risk being overpowered by the people responsible for the project.

As we skirted the town of Satu Mare and headed towards the overgrown country lanes leading to the Asylum, I began to recognise certain landmarks from my past. I had escaped the place I was created when I was 12; it had been my first fleeting experience of the outside world. I had memorised the route as I ran from that place, traversing the lanes I was now driving down trying to pick up a lift. The lead weight pushed down on me as I drove my vulnerable handler back to that nightmarish place.

It was nearing 6am when I pulled off the lane and parked the car in an abandoned farm about a mile out from the asylum, a benefit of me remembering that first escape. The farm had deteriorated since I had last seen it, but there was still enough cover for us to hide the car. Silencing the engine I shifted to face Peregrine.

"You don't have to do this. I'll be fine on my own." I kept my voice gentle, conscious of her emotional state. She turned her head away from the window to fix me with a slightly dazed stare. The lead weight gave me an uncomfortable nudge as I noted her usually animated brown eyes were strangely glassy and distant. After a moment of looking at me like she wasn't sure where she was, she shook her head slowly.

"No. You and Diana need me to access the security system and disable the microchips. I'm coming." The defiant edge to her voice indicated her fight hadn't completely left her. I sighed and stared into her eyes for a moment, I saw uncertainty flicker across her otherwise carefully blank face. I knew that look, it was the one I always used to hide my true feelings in a situation, but I could see the evidence of her turmoil deep in her eyes.

"Morgan-" I began, not wanting to use her codename when trying to broach the delicate subject of her recently deceased parents. But she stopped me abruptly, obviously catching on to my train of thought.

"No 47. I don't want to talk about it. We have a job to do, and I intend to finish it." The blank mask slipped, revealing a painfully sad expression. "It's all I have now." I nodded curtly. I didn't need to be told twice; talking about feelings wasn't something I enjoyed. Her pragmatic approach to the task gave me confidence she would be an asset not a liability, even though I knew deep down inside she was likely screaming at the top of her lungs.

We exited the Audi and I opened the back handing Perry's rucksack to her, minus laptop now of course, and an earpiece. Inserting my own in my ear I also handed her a tiny POV camera; for this mission she was going to be monitored and handled just like me. I holstered my silenced pistol and watched as Perry checked her rucksack; she was still unusually quiet, her expression tense and serious.

"Peregrine." She looked up at me abruptly, a coldness in her eyes I didn't like. "I don't know what we're going to find in there, but from my experience it's never been good. So…look after yourself okay." Her stony expression wavered for a moment at my obvious concern for her safety, the coldness melting briefly to reveal a heart wrenching sadness instead. My arms twitched, wanting to reach out to her and hold her like I had last night, but my training was kicking in and we were here to do a job. Instead the moment passed and I watched as she pushed the sadness down, concealing it behind her stony mask once more.

"Sure." She answered curtly. I frowned slightly, this exchange was familiar but it was usually the other way round. I felt a tug of guilt as she turned her head away, the tiny red mark from my syringe staring back at me.

Before I could dwell on these feelings any more a pop of static entered my earpiece, then Diana's calm, collected voice pushed all thoughts of Perry's trauma out of my head. "Good morning, I hope you're both ready, a lot is riding on you putting a stop to this project. The ICA is in chaos at the moment, the Director has gone missing and the board is planning a mutiny." I breathed out a heavy sigh, I was sure the agency would be fine it had always survived in the past but the last thing we needed was unnecessary pressure.

"We're as ready as we'll ever be." I muttered in a low voice. Diana heard me, as she continued briefing us in a business like fashion. Perry kept her eyes fixed on me as Diana went over the plan one more time.

"Good, the security system controls are located somewhere on the third floor, Peregrine I'll assist you as best I can whilst 47 distracts whoever is in the Asylum. Once you gain control I'll be able to control the elevator and access the basement for you. I'll also be able to tell you when any clones are in your vicinity so Peregrine can signal our new associates which chip to disable, and when. All going well you should be able to neutralise all clones and be able to destroy the research with no risk to yourselves." Perry's eyes narrowed.

I knew Peregrine was keen for me not to kill any cones, she seemed determined that they shouldn't be punished for being created. I wasn't sure Diana had given those clones a second thought; she only seemed intent on ensuring no one continued what was happening here. Diana wasn't leaving anything to chance this time. The relationship between Perry and her mentor had soured slightly since her rebellion. "47, consider all personnel you encounter as targets." Diana finished.

"Understood." I replied simply, Perry looked away, turning her glower towards the trees in the distance.

"Peregrine, I'll alert you of anyone who escapes 47. Your priority is that security system. Good luck and happy hunting both." She went quiet, but I knew she was now watching and listening to everything we did.

Without communicating Perry and I both left the car, which we had relied upon since Sicily, and headed cross-country towards the Asylum. It was surrounded by a tall brick wall in amongst some woodland, as we entered the dark cover of the trees I noted the ominous metal sign stating, 'Proprietatea privată, infractorii vor fi împușcați' _Private property, trespassers will be shot._ I saw Perry glance at me out of the corner of my eye, she was playing nervously with the straps on her rucksack. We walked a little more until I was sure we were in the cover of the trees, hidden from any CCTV that might be in the area. I came to a halt as the brick wall started to appear out of the shadows of the woodland.

Perry sighed, her shoulders were slumped like there was a great weight resting on them. "I guess this is where we part ways then?" She didn't look at me as she spoke, just wordlessly got out the pistol I had given her in Sicily. I had fitted a suppressor to it, to give her more of chance if she ended up having to use it. If I did my job right, she wouldn't have to.

My brow creased slightly as she fixed me with her brown eyes; they were still too distant for my liking, it was almost as if the closer I became to her the further she was drifting from me. "You'll be fine. Listen to Diana." She nodded, pulling the slider on her pistol. It clicked as the round was pushed into the chamber, flicking the safety on she then stowed it in the back of her jeans. I raised an eyebrow at her and she gave me a steely stare back.

"See you on the other side then." Her voice was quiet as she muttered her parting comment, turning on her heels and heading to the back of the building. I watched as her small figure melted into the trees, that lead weight settling a little heavier in my stomach.

"She'll be fine 47." Diana's voice sounded in my earpiece suddenly. She was talking only to me so Perry couldn't hear. "That girl knows how to handle herself." I sighed, hoping Diana was right, before proceeding quietly towards the Asylum entrance. I had known from the start that there was little chance of me being able to infiltrate the Asylum without anyone knowing, they would likely be aware of who I was almost instantly. Our element of surprise was definitely going to be the ability to disable their microchips, and therefore the clones inside. I had been the one to suggest I draw the fire of anyone guarding the building, so that Perry could safely gain access to the security system.

I lowered into a crouch as I neared the entrance. The trees thinned onto a road, a heavily guarded gate blocking my way. I noted two guards on the gate, both carrying automatic rifles. My eyes flicked up to the two security cameras trained on the gate, I drew my silenced pistol and prepared to strike. The two security cameras were easy to take down; they exploded in a cloud of smoke and sparks. The guards turned towards them, without hesitating I stepped out of the cover of the trees and shot the one furthest from me in the back of the head. He slammed into the ground, instantly dead. I didn't give his partner time to react, before the other guard could turn to face his companion's killer I had holstered my pistol and had my fibre wire ready in my hands. The guard let out a surprised gurgle as I tightened it around his throat, it only took a few seconds of futile struggling before the second guard was down and hidden in amongst the trees. I noticed the familiar triangular logo of the ICA emblazoned on the guard's bulletproof vest. So these were agency mercenaries, I'd have to keep my guard up.

"Well done 47. Peregrine has made it over the perimeter wall to the rear of the Asylum. It's time." I acknowledged her intel by prising the automatic rifle from the dead guard's grip. I breathed in slowly; this went against all my training. I liked to stay hidden, killing in the shadows, never seen; but Perry needed me to cause a commotion so she could get to the security room safely. "Remember, _everyon_ e is a target." Diana's voice cut through my swirling thoughts, without waiting any longer I stepped up to the large wrought iron gates and began to climb over them.

A moment of de-ja-vu hit me as I saw the Asylum again, it hadn't changed since the last time I had been here. The only thing that was different was the number of guards outside patrolling. I counted twenty, with more inside probably; at least this would definitely cause a distraction. I landed nimbly on the other side of the gate, as the guards became aware of my sudden appearance I reached into my suit jacket and produced a stun grenade. The loud bang reverberated around the court yard and the flash lit up the Gothic style building, my eyes and ears adjusted quickly, the guards weren't so fortunate.

With a few quick bursts of the rifle I dispatched ten of them before they could react. I ducked behind a parked truck as the other guards regained their senses and started firing in my direction. Staying low I moved along the length of the truck to its fuel tank, taking Perry's knife she had given me I punched a neat hole in the tank. The smell of gasoline filled my nose as the clear liquid poured out onto the stones below. The guards were still firing at me; I judged the gap between the truck and a small security hut next to it. Waiting for a break in their fire I sprinted across to the wooden hut and positioned myself so that the hut was between the now leaking truck and me. I heard shouts as the guards decided to close in on my position, I waited patiently for their voices to grow louder then fired one quick shot towards the growing puddle underneath the truck. It went up in a blaze of fire, the force of the explosion splintering the wood of the hut I was hiding behind. As the shrapnel and ashes settled the courtyard became eerily quiet after the commotion I had caused. I remained still, waiting.

I readied the automatic rifle as I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. The noise of the gunfight and proceeding explosion had done its job, hopefully every guard on the top floors would be racing to my location. _Good luck Perry,_ I thought as the first few guards exited the Asylum and surveyed the destruction in front of them.

"Holy shit." I heard one exclaim, peering round the side of the partially destroyed security hut I saw a cluster of six men staring down at the dismembered bodies of their comrades. "Spread out, find the guy who did this." The guards dispersed and I adjusted my position. All my instincts wanted me to eliminate them silently and unnoticed, but that wasn't my objective. Fighting back my unease I stepped out from behind the hut and opened fire on the group of men.

Even as I dealt with the men in front of me I could hear more approaching from inside. Suddenly a wailing alarm started inside the Asylum, I only hoped it was because of me not Peregrine.

"Good job 47, you've certainly caused a stir. Peregrine is making her way to the third floor and all guards are being diverted to your location." Diana had answered my worries; Perry's route was clear, now all I had to do was neutralise the guards intent on killing me. I reloaded the automatic rifle and flattened myself against the wall near the door of the Asylum. Heavy military boots thudded towards me, focusing my senses I counted another fifteen men coming my way.

I had been somewhat lucky so far; even with my skill I was sure I would soon be outnumbered. The group of guards came out of the Asylum, rifles raised. I didn't wait for them to organise themselves, I killed five of them before the rest registered where I was. I quickly ducked into the entrance of the building as they began firing at me. I felt a sharp, hot pain in my arm as one of them landed a shot on me. It was of little consequence though; my body was flooded with adrenaline so the pain was muted.

On the other side of the courtyard I spotted a crate filled with propane gas tanks. It was too far away from the guards to kill them all but it would certainly distract them long enough for me to deal with them. I poked my gun out and fired the rest of round into the crate, another explosion shook the courtyard and two of the men were blown across it. The rest turned to look at the source of the explosion; I dropped the automatic rifle and drew my silenced pistol once more.

Stepping out into the open again I saw one of the guard's still pointing his rifle at me, his eyes widened as he saw me level my pistol at his head, shooting him neatly in the forehead. Moving as fast as my muscles would allow I advanced on the remaining seven men. Noting their positions I came up behind the first of them and wrapped a gloved hand around his mouth, shooting him in the spine. The second became aware of me as I raced towards him; I quickly disarmed him and constricted his neck with my forearm. He scrabbled at my vice like grip as the rest of his team saw me. Using him as a shield I moved forward, the guards were hesitant for a moment seeing their comrade in danger. Only for a moment, these were ICA trained men after all.

I saw the guard raise his gun out of the corner of my eye and knew his intention was to shoot. Just as he pulled the trigger I pushed my hostage away, the barrage of bullets thudding into his chest. I raised my pistol and shot two more men before his body hit the floor. The guard that had shot his friend gritted his teeth in anger and swung his gun round to aim at me again. I was now only feet away from the last two men, letting my instincts take over I ducked down and rolled towards them just as the guard released another bursts of bullets. Straightening up I punched his partner in the face, knocking him out instantly. The guard let out a low grow and I turned to face him as he pulled the trigger once more.

The automatic rifle clicked and the man howled in frustration as he realised his gun was out of ammo. I gave him a small smirk as I levelled the pistol on him and fired. The guard collapsed next to his unconscious partner, nonchalantly I holstered my pistol and bent down to snap the man's neck, finishing the job. I couldn't hear any more footsteps, still I kept my guard up as I walked into the Asylum.

"How many more?" I murmured to Diana.

"I'm not sure, Perry is still trying to break into their system. I would imagine that is all the guards up here, but be alert." I felt the blood seeping from my arm as I strode into the round entrance hall of the Asylum. A slight shiver ran up my spine at being here again, the shadows of my childhood still present in the walls. The interior was unnervingly quiet after the chaos of outside, it was dimly lit, any natural light that made it inside seemed to disappear. My feet echoed on the tiled floor as I made my way to the elevator, it was the only access to the basement where the labs were located and where I had been created. The last time I had been here the upper levels were being used as a hospital still, but now the halls were quiet. Obviously the ICA hadn't felt the need to maintain a cover story for the building. The heavily armed guards and aggressive signs, enough to keep the locals at bay and their tongues still.

Rounding a corner I saw a man in a lab coat at the end of a corridor, he was hurriedly stuffing papers into bag. I disposed of him easily, my silenced pistol barely emitting a noise as I sent a bullet into the back of the man's head. Reaching his corpse I picked up one of the papers he was trying to conceal.

 _Classified_

 _Project_ _Wechselbalg_

 _Property of_ _Avenir Pharmaceuticals_

I flicked through the pages of the paper, scientific equations and diagrams flashing before me. It meant little to me, and as my orders were to destroy all research I felt no need to keep it. I tossed it back into the bag and continued down the corridor towards the elevator.

"Peregrine has nearly gained control of the security system 47. You shouldn't have long to wait before you can proceed to the basement." The emptiness of the Asylum was starting to unnerve me, I had dealt with a lot of security outside but I expected to see some still. "Once you're down there, dispose of any personnel you find and any clones." I froze.

"We planned to disable them only." There was a warning note to my voice; Perry hadn't wanted to kill any of them. She had planned to free them claiming they hadn't chosen this life, but I had been unsure at first. Still, her touching compassion towards these clones had won me over eventually. With them disabled I wouldn't have to kill them, and once we done I would leave the exits open for them.

"Let's be realistic 47. You know as well as I do what these clones have been made for, they will pose a threat to the outside world and more importantly the agency. Eliminating them is the only sensible option." Her logic was sound, but Peregrine trusted me to honour her decision. My eyes narrowed; I didn't like being put in this position, especially in the middle of a mission. "I know this puts you in an awkward place 47, but Peregrine is young and passionate. She doesn't know the world like we do, those clones will only end up as pawns of someone else's plan."

"Like me you mean. Like Victoria." My tone was colder than I expected as I spoke to my former handler. She sighed on the other end of the line.

"Yes. Although I wouldn't exactly describe you as a pawn, you certainly went down the path formed for you." I closed my eyes, she was right but I wasn't going to directly go against Perry's wishes.

"I will neutralise them only if they pose a threat to me." Diana went quiet as she digested my compromise.

"Fine. I must say the changes in you are very…inconvenient." I began to walk slowly towards the elevator again, keeping one ear listening for anyone approaching.

"I don't understand." Diana chuckled at my admission.

"This girl. She's had quite the affect on you. I admit I am personally pleased to see you have the capacity for human emotions 47, but professionally it is posing a bit of an obstacle." My brow furrowed at her assessment of me. Had I really changed that much in such a short time? I still killed without remorse and prided myself on completely contracts perfectly, no exceptions. However, I had to admit since Perry had joined me in the field I found myself adjusting parameters to accommodate her safety, almost without any resentment.

The elevator stood out amongst the Gothic architecture of the upper floors. It was an industrial metal affair with a keypad where a code had to be entered to summon it. Access to the basement level was heavily guarded, and I knew from experience it was less to keep people out than to keep people in. The continuing silence from the upper floors was starting to create an itch at the back of my mind. It felt like the building was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly the lighting dipped briefly causing me to snap my head upwards, looking for signs of danger. Before I could overreact too much Diana's voice was back in my earpiece. "She's in." I instantly relaxed; Peregrine had gained control of the security system. "I'm accessing it now, I'll bring the elevator to your position when-"

She cut off abruptly, I pressed a finger to my ear thinking the signal had been lost but she started speaking again, her voice surprised and ever so slightly angry. "What is she doing?" A muted ping rang out from above me and the sound of whirring started as the pulleys began moving the elevator in the shaft. It didn't take me long to realise what was going on, Perry had activated the elevator herself and was going down. A cold sensation spread through me at the thought of her getting to the basement before me. Who knew what was down there.

"Stop it." I barked curtly at Diana. I could hear her typing audibly now in the background.

"I-I can't. She's locked me out." She stuttered as she attempted to undo Perry's work, but I knew there was nothing she could do now. As the elevator moved passed the first floor I banged a fist in frustration on the metal door. The loud boom it emitted echoed around the corridor. I knew that would have alerted her to my displeasure, but my slowly building panic was making me act irrationally. I listened as the whirring slowed, then stopped, another ping sounding as she reached the basement level.

"Call it back Diana." I growled in a low, menacing voice. She didn't reply, only the noise of typing reached my ears. The whirring started again, it felt like an age before the elevator emitted another ping and the grey, metal doors slide open. I strode into the minimal interior and glared at the small security camera in the corner. "Go."

The doors closed in response; the elevator juddered as it came to life once more, moving me down to the basement; my old home. I gripped my pistol tighter as the elevator began to slow, unsure what I would find, hoping it wouldn't be Peregrine's corpse.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thanks for being so patient guys, hope it was worth the wait. There is only an epilogue to go now, so consider this the final chapter of this story. As always review and rate, and of course enjoy! :)**

Chapter 21

The sterile, hospital like corridor was straight from my nightmares. I listened carefully, certain the voice of Dr Ort-Meyer would ring out at any moment. Instead I heard the distant sound of footsteps running, followed by a loud thudding. I sprinted after Perry, my eagerness to find her safe outweighing my sense of self-preservation. I could outrun her easily but finding her in the maze of laboratories, training rooms and cells was going to be tricky.

I skidded to a halt as I came upon two bodies lying on the floor in front of me. Scanning them quickly to ensure none of them were Perry I saw it was two adolescents, one male, one female. Both had hospital like gowns on, I knew just by looking at them that they were clones. Curiosity briefly took the better of me and I scanned their unconscious bodies. They looked to be in their late teens, they weren't that old at all. The girl's hands were folded on her stomach as she lay in front of me and my eye was caught by a small brand burnt onto the top of her wrist. It was the ICA logo again, they definitely weren't hiding their involvement now. Their chests rose and fell rhythmically; they wouldn't be out for long I decided to continue my pursuit of Peregrine.

"At least we know Cicada are honouring their end of the deal." Diana still sounded shaken after Perry's total disregard for the plan. I was walking at a brisk pace now, I had no idea how hard these clones would be to overpower if I encountered any and getting myself injured or killed wouldn't help my handler in any way. I was approaching a very familiar room; it was an injection room. Memories of being strapped down as an army of Doctors inserted needles into me gauging my reactions, flooded my mind. I faltered slightly as I glanced into the room. A large chair was fixed to the floor in the centre of the room, a cold shiver ran up spine at the sight of it. Three Doctors had their backs to me, they were talking urgently to each other in Romanian, stuffing more papers into bags.

My lip curled as I entered the room levelling my pistol on the backs of their heads. These weren't the same men who had tortured me in my youth, but I was certain they had been performing the same experiments on the clones here now. I fired three bullets, their bodies crumpling in quick succession. I didn't believe in revenge but I felt the fierce, smug feeling of retribution flow through me now.

A loud noise in the distance brought me back to the present and reminded me that Perry was still AWOL somewhere in this basement full of potentially dangerous clones. Moving back out into the corridor I continued searching for my handler. It wasn't too hard to keep track of her progress, a trail of unconscious bodies greeted me periodically as I weaved my way through these once familiar rooms. I noted that none of the clones were older than their mid teens. Obviously the project hadn't been going long enough for any of their assets to reach maturity, I became less anxious at this thought. The idea of Perry running into a young adult clone was a lot less unnerving than the idea of her running into someone like me.

I reached a fork in the corridor, I knew one direction would take me to the laboratory and holding cells, the other was the same corridor from my nightmare. I listened carefully for any sounds of Perry; instead I heard the unmistakable sound of an automatic rifle being cocked from behind me. Irritation overcame me at my failure to sense the approaching danger, too focused on my stubborn companion once again. The irritation gave way to confusion however when the person behind me didn't immediately start shooting me in the back.

"Don't move." I narrowed my eyes at the man's voice, it wavered slightly with uncertainty; he obviously knew who I was. I obliged, curious to see what his plan was. His feet shuffled towards me a bit more, then I felt the muzzle of his rifle pressing into my spine. "Give me your gun." Slowly I turned my head to get a better look at him, one eyebrow raised in mild amusement. It was an ICA mercenary, but he looked young and nervous. I was sure I could push my luck with this inexperienced rookie.

"No." I saw his eyes widen at my refusal to obey him. My cold stare bored into the young man's visibly shaken face, he responded by pushing the rifle harder into my back driving me forwards.

"Walk. If you I see your hands move I'll shoot you in the back." I let my stare linger for a few more moments, before I slowly nodded and let him guide me down the corridor leading to where I had last seen my creator bleeding out. I knew in my gut that this man was taking me to someone, I just hoped Peregrine would try and stay out of trouble.

"I'm sorry 47, Peregrine has made it very hard for me to take full control of the security cameras. I didn't see him approaching until it was too late." I kept my face blank, not responding to Diana's apology. No doubt she would be having strong words with my handler once this was over, if she made it out alive. I maintained a steady pace as the mercenary pushed me further down the corridor. We reached the point where the scanner room used to be located; previously I had had to use one of the 48 clones to open the security doors to reach my creator. Now it had been adapted into what looked like a decontamination chamber. The man hurriedly pushed me into the chamber, the doors shutting behind me.

I turned to face my aggressor; he eyed me nervously as I stared him down. A fine, cold mist filled the small room, I held my breath instinctively, just in case it was toxic. It only took a moment, then the doors on the other side slide open letting me continue. The young man indicated for me to walk on with his rifle, but he wasn't behind me anymore and I didn't intend to move. I saw his grip tighten on the weapon and I instantly mimicked him with my pistol, I was confident in a face to face gunfight I was going to win. I knew he had herded me this way for a reason and I was unwilling to walk into whatever it was with a gun held to my back.

"Move forward." He commanded, his voice rising a pitch with his fear. I raised my pistol and in one fluid movement shot him twice through the glass. The doors I had entered through shattered and fell to the floor in a glittering waterfall. The young mercenary lay on the floor, covered in the remnants of the doors struggling to breath as the two bullet holes I had put in his chest slowly bled onto the ground. His eyes were wide and white as I stepped towards him, the glass crunching under my feet. I levelled the pistol at his head watching the familiar look of terrified realisation come across his face. His head snapped back as the bullet hit him; I glared down at his corpse as I made to move back towards the laboratory. My gut told me Perry had gone that way.

Before I could take a step however a light, jovial voice echoed down the corridor behind me. "Mr 47, I would prefer if you didn't kill all of my men before I've had a chance to talk to you." I swivelled on the spot to face back through the decontamination chamber. The voice was familiar, I became uneasy wondering why he was here. My hesitation provoked him to speak again. "Please, come. We do not have all day."

"I have a feeling whoever is calling you isn't going to stay patient for long. I'll keep an eye on Peregrine 47." Diana's voice sounded in my ear, clearly she hadn't recognised the voice. With one last glance towards where I thought Perry was, I turned again and made my way through the chamber and onwards to the large circular room, which used to be my creator's office.

As I rounded the corner I was faced with a slight man of average height, his neat black hair slicked back, a friendly smile plastered across his face. Mr Nu had changed little from the last time I had met him, in fact he looked exactly the same as if he hadn't aged at all. "It's him." I heard Diana exclaim as I walked slowly towards the smiling man.

"Hello again Mr 47, and hello to the lovely Diana as I am sure she is listening." He waited expectantly for me to respond, I merely stared impassively at him not wanting to reveal too much to this sudden apparition from my past. I didn't know a great deal about the man in front of me, only that he was a high ranking operative in the agency concerned with managing it, and very good at weeding out traitors. Ironic I should find him here.

I scanned the rest of the room in my peripheral; it was a large circular office with a desk positioned behind Mr Nu. The benefit of the design meant there were no corners for anyone to hide in, we appeared to be alone but I didn't trust it too much. Mr Nu had obviously tired of waiting for me to reply, so he continued in his cheerily calm voice. "I must congratulate you on your impressive display upstairs. Breaking from your normal MO to be sure, but impressive none the less." He moved round to place the desk between us, taking a seat in the chair, he looked at home here in my creator's old office.

"Am I to assume you are behind this project?" I queried in a low voice. Mr Nu leant forward, placing his hands together on the empty desk in front of him.

"I know this conversation is likely going to end up with me dead, but I would like to put forward my case first. See if I can persuade you and the head of the agency's rebellious faction to reconsider." My eye narrowed at the abnormally calm man who had just admitted knowledge of his own demise.

"Let's hear him out. Maybe he knows of the Director's whereabouts." Diana spoke quietly in my ear; I was growing weary of all this diplomacy but resolved to be patient a little longer. I nodded solemnly at Mr Nu and he took it as his cue to continue.

"As you are standing in this rather charming relic of your past 47, I can assume you are at least partially aware of what we are endeavouring to do here?" I was surprised at his cheery tone, he hadn't changed at all still displaying a disturbing lack of concern at the situation.

"Creating class 1 clones." I answered in a dangerously low voice. Mr Nu typically didn't look perturbed by my cold reaction. He merely smiled wider and nodded enthusiastically, like I had correctly guessed a particularly tricky riddle.

"Yes, yes that. But so much more 47, so much more. We are making history here. The world of assassination, indeed the world in general, will never be the same again. " He sighed, reaching into a draw in the desk and taking out a file. Flipping it open he reveal the paper I had seen the Doctor's trying to stash into bags earlier. "Amazing isn't it. All this money, time and effort, and all our research is neatly printed out here." He looked up at me again, a sly look on his face. "Written out of course, no online files, only hard copies. Wouldn't want people like your rookie handler or your new allies getting their mitts on it now would we." I raised an eyebrow slowly at him; obviously our deal with Cicada hadn't gone unnoticed.

Mr Nu's face became suddenly grave, "Oh I know Cicada would give anything for this research. They went to all the trouble of getting our best assets to do their dirty work for them, they will stop at nothing until they have this in their hands." My expression must have betrayed my confusion at his comment because he let out a loud, ringing laugh that echoed around the circular office. "They've led you on a merry dance. I have to applaud them, whomever they are, they not only managed to outwit yourself and Diana, but also the genius hacker that is your new handler. Bravo Cicada if you can hear me, bravo." Mr Nu clapped theatrically into the empty room. I clenched my fists instinctively.

"I'm getting tired of talking. I'm here to do a job." I growled at him, brining my pistol up to point at his head. Mr Nu ceased clapping and held his hands up in surrender, a devious grin stretching his face.

"But I haven't even got to the best part 47." His gaze flicked from my face to just over my shoulder and I immediately felt another presence enter the room behind me. I turned my body to see the new arrival, my blood turned to ice. The familiar green eyes set in a pinched face swam into vision, the reality was clear but I couldn't process the impossibility of seeing the figure in front of me again. The agent I had shot cleanly in the head at the hospital in Serbia smiled nastily back at me.

"You really should be more aware of your surroundings 47. This is the second time I've managed to catch you unawares." He was holding his own silenced pistol, aiming it at my head once more.

"I killed you." My voice was menacing but there was the slightest waver to it.

"Impossible." I heard Diana breath in my ear, her terror at seeing this ghost more evident than mine.

"Indeed, and yet here I stand. Maybe you should give Mr Nu here a little bit more of your time before attempting to kill him. It might…enlighten you." I was certain I could fight my way out of this situation, after all there was only one other real threat in this room. However, I couldn't deny my curiosity hadn't taken over. A man I had clearly shot in the head was standing alive and well, with barely a mark to show for it. What were they doing here?

I turned my head to face Mr Nu once more; he was watching mine and the ghost agent's exchange with an expression of mild amusement. "You have my attention." I spat at him; I didn't lower my gun.

"Agent Mortem is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we have achieved here." Agent Mortem, fitting name for someone able to cheat death I thought sourly. "We have created the next generation of super assassins, along with the technology to control them almost completely. It is simply…perfect." My muscles flexed involuntarily at his statement.

"That's what my creator called me. He learnt perfection is not always a good thing." Mr Nu nodded sagely.

"Quite right 47. He was correct, you were perfect, but not without your flaws. You have free will after all, and clearly you like to exercise that right." He stared pointedly at the gun aimed squarely at him. "Also, you are not impervious to harm, a bullet can still mortally wound you. Our aim with this project was to truly transcend those limitations and create gods among men." I flicked a glance at the agent behind me, he was staring at me humourlessly, he looked too old to have been created here. Mr Nu obviously saw where my train of thought was headed. "No Mr 47, Agent Mortem is not a clone. He is merely…genetically enhanced. Like your dear friend Victoria." My head snapped back round to Mr Nu, a deadly look in my eyes. He grinned at my lethal expression, but simply shrugged. "We wanted to test our research and Agent Mortem offered himself as a willing volunteer." I levelled my gaze at the agent again, disbelief written on my face. What kind of person would volunteer themselves for the experiments Victoria and myself had been forced to endure?

The agent regarded me with his calculating green eyes, there was the tiniest trace of a scar just above his right eye from where I had shot him only a week ago. Mr Nu persisted with his confident monologue on the project's achievements. "With Mortem we focused on his intelligence and ability to heal. As you can see he was a great success, he is able to recover from most fatal wounds and able to think faster than most men. Once we had established our genetic manipulations would work, we focused on cloning and creating our own subjects. And as I am sure our dear friend Dr Constantin told you, there we succeeded too."

"47, I can see more mercenaries approaching the Asylum. They'll reach your location in approximately twenty minutes." I was grateful for Diana's eyes above the ground right now. Frustration began to build in me, Mr Nu was keeping us occupied and separated on purpose. A sudden strong and insistent need to be with Perry flared at the back of my mind, and I quickly began analysing my options. The relatively unintimidating Mr Nu wouldn't be an issue, the armed and genetically enhanced agent behind me however…he was my real threat.

Mr Nu was unaware of the intel I was being fed, he was still trying to keep my interest by spilling the secrets of the project. Obviously under the impression that I would soon be overpowered, his plan was risky and about to fail. "The microchip was a fortunate bi-product of us attempting to control our creations somehow. Amazing how such a tiny piece of technology has such massive potential, no wonder the most infamous hacker group is itching to get their hands on it." I was only half listening to him now, the approaching danger of more heavily armed mercenaries while Peregrine was likely unaware and unprepared was distracting me immensely.

I felt Agent Mortem shift behind me, he was becoming aware of my agitated state. I calmed my breathing, careful not to alert the men to my knowledge of their closing trap. The room was bare except for the desk in the centre, my pistol was going to be my best bet of getting out of here but with a highly trained agent able of healing behind me my confidence wasn't as high as normal.

"They're only fifteen minutes away now 47. If you're going to move, I'd do it now." Diana's urgent voice in my ear was all the incentive I needed to launch into action. Pushing my muscles to their limit I whipped round as fast as I could and fired four bullets into the unsuspecting agent behind me. I hit him squarely in both knees forcing him to the floor and twice in the abdomen. Without hesitating I kicked his hand knocking his pistol out of it, and sending it skittering across the floor.

He was still very much alive and already attempting to get up, but I could sense Mr Nu moving behind the desk, reaching into one of the draws. I had limited ammo left and two targets, one I wasn't sure how to kill if I was being honest and the other I needed to keep alive to find the whereabouts of the Director. I knew if I killed them without this information there was a high chance the project would continue somewhere else. I didn't have long to think through my options, I counted two rounds left in my pistol.

Agent Mortem locked eyes with me as he raised himself onto his elbows; blood was spreading out from under him I knew the shots I had landed in his stomach would have been bad news for most normal men but as I had just learnt this was no normal man. My lip curled as I fired a shot right between his eyes, I watched as his head snapped back for a second time and he became still on the floor in front of me. I wanted to keep looking at the agent's lifeless body to make sure it stayed that way this time, but the sound of a clip being inserted into a gun tore my eyes away from Mortem and focus back on Mr Nu.

He was still smiling his carefree smile, as if I hadn't just shot his bodyguard in the head. "I guess you got wise to my little plan 47. Or did you just get bored of my monologue, I did try to keep it interesting." He was walking nonchalantly around the desk towards me; I raised my pistol with its last bullet to point at him once more.

"I'm tired of talking. Where is the Director?" Mr Nu smile faltered but came back within seconds as an amused grin.

"Do you intend to kill him 47? That's tantamount to treason." His voice was light and jovial still, but there was a menacing edge to it now.

"My intention is to stop this project. The agency is neutral, it doesn't deal in creating super soldiers." Mr Nu snorted, a short, humourless sound.

"So this is a coup. Bravo Diana, you and your lackeys here are really playing into Cicada's plans nicely." I frowned at him. He noticed my expression and threw his arms in the air, the pistol waving around above his head. "Come now 47, I expected more from you! The ICA is a powerful, respected organisation that should be harder to dismantle than it has been. I wanted to keep us on top, it's a changing world, there's a new super power now and it's controlled by a bunch of nobodies with a keyboard in a darkened room." I stared at him, realisation clicking into place.

"You're the Director of the ICA." It was statement rather than a question, but Mr Nu nodded anyway.

"Well done 47. Maybe you aren't as slow as I thought."

"Impossible. He can't be." Diana was talking to herself as much to me. Part of me suspected he could be lying as a decoy, but my gut told me he wasn't. Something about the way he held himself and his confidence betray the man of power beneath his flippant exterior. "You have ten minutes now. They are nearly here." Her reminder of our perilous situation dispelled any shock I had from Mr Nu revelation. He was sneering at me now.

"So what do we do now 47? You intend to kill me and effectively end the agency, which you have worked so diligently for. And I do not intend to die, so we appear to be in a stale mate." My lip curled in response to his arrogant remark.

"Hardly." I retorted curtly and shot him in the head. His eyes remained wide with shock as he slowly tilted and crashed to the floor.

"It's done. Well done 47, I am starting the overheating process now. You should have ten minutes to get out." Diana's voice was shaking ever so slightly, but we had been through worse together. She would recover quickly, the agency wasn't dead yet.

"Where is Peregrine?" I discarded my now empty clip and strode over to Agent Mortem's pistol. Taking the ammo from his gun I inserted into mine and turned to face the office door. "Diana!" I was losing patience, not only were there a large amount of heavily armed ICA mercenaries en-route but my former handler was pressing what was effectively the self-destruct button on this place.

"I think she is in the laboratory, she's blocked her POV camera and all security cameras in that area so I cant be more specific." _Dammit Perry_ , I thought. Letting out a low growl I sprint back down the corridor, past the decontamination chamber and towards the laboratory situated at the far end of the warren of rooms. "47, the mercenaries are there. They are heading towards her location." I quickened my pace; we needed to get out of here now.

The corridor suddenly split into three, I came to a halt and tried to remember where the laboratory had been located last time I had been here. I desperately pushed down the inconvenient rising sense of panic threatening to overcome me; it was clouding my thoughts. "Any ideas Diana?" I asked in frustration as the sound of quickly approaching footsteps reached me.

"Down the right hand corridor, all security cameras are jammed that way. I guess she doesn't want me to see whatever she's doing."

I continued in the direction Diana had suggested, I had a pretty good idea what Perry was doing. She was a lot of things, impulsive, stubborn, and foolhardy but she wasn't stupid. She must have cottoned on to Diana's plan to destroy the clones and was going against orders once more in an effort to complete her own moral crusade. The sound of the approaching mercenaries grew fainter as I dashed down endless, winding passage. I got an unwelcome flash back to my nightmare, and half expected to round the next corner and come face to face with the ghost of my creator.

Finally I came to a set of large metal doors. This was the end of the line and hopefully where my wayward handler was. I tried to open them but found them locked shut by an electrical keypad. A loud, abrasive alarm suddenly started wailing all around me.

"The heating system has reached critical condition. You don't have long 47." Gritting my teeth in frustration I struck the door, hoping to get Perry's attention.

"Peregrine, open the door. It's me. We have to go!" The alarm was drowning out my words, but I was sure she had heard me. Still, there was no response from the other side and my frustration quickly turned into anger. "Perry!" I placed my shoulder against the door and pushed it with all my strength. The door gave an inch but didn't open. "Diana can you access the lock?" I could hear the distant footsteps of the mercenaries over the alarm now, and Perry's silence was starting to disturb me.

"No. She's locked me out. There's nothing I can do 47, you need to leave now!" I whirled around in a state of fury as the mercenaries finally rounded the corner and I opened fire without hesitation. I had never let my emotions take over when killing, always keeping a professional calm about me, but now I let my mounting frustration and anger out on these men. They didn't stand a chance. They kept coming, and once out of bullets I strode forward and engaged them in hand to hand combat. The sound of breaking bones and surprised screams echoed through the corridor.

It took me roughly three minutes to dispose of all twenty mercenaries. I stood still, breathing heavily as the alarm became the only noise once more. After a few moments of silence Diana spoke again. "47, the building is about to explode."

"I'm not leaving her." My voice was barely a whisper, but I poured all of my fury and desperation into it forcing Diana to grow quiet. I banged on the door violently once more, pressing my face up to the gap between the doors. "Perry, I know you're in there. We have to go." There was no sound of movement from the other side. "Morgan, god fucking dammit, come on!"

"47…the building…please." Diana's voice was quiet as she begged me to leave. I could hear an ominous groaning from the air ducts above, I didn't have long. With one last look at the doors I turned and sprinted back towards the lift, the only exit from this hell. As I ran I could hear the explosion starting from somewhere deep in the bowels of the Asylum. The lift opened immediately as I ran to it, at least Diana still had control of that. It juddered and shook alarmingly as it slowly rose to the surface.

I pushed my legs to go as fast as they could, scaling the gate outside in seconds. The Asylum exploded just as I reached the woods outside, the darkness beneath the trees lit up briefly, my ears ringing from the proximity of the blast. I kept running until I was clear of the woods, back onto the track leading to the Asylum. Only then did I let myself turn to face the destruction.

There was very little left of the Victorian style building, flames roared violently towards the sky, a large mushroom cloud of smoke billowing up into the morning air. I should have felt relief at the sight of my nightmarish childhood going up in flames, the world finally rid of this place of torture and unnatural science. Instead I felt an unfamiliar stinging around my eyes, and a numbness in my chest. Curious, I lifted a hand to my face and looked down at my finger when they came away wet. I must have got smoke in my eyes, but even as I thought that I knew deep down I was too far away for it to have any affect on me.

"I'm sorry 47." Diana's voice was sombre and quiet. I just stared at the ruin of the Asylum, the numbness spreading through my body.

"Maybe she got out." There was no confidence in my voice, I had spent my life devising ways to eliminate people and watching them die, I knew when a situation was guaranteed to kill someone; and I was looking at it.

"I'll notify the board of the Director's unfortunate resignation, along with the dismantling of the cloning project. I'll be in touch if we need anything, in the mean time take some time off. Well done 47." My earpiece crackled as it went dead, and I stayed staring at the smouldering wreck that had become my companion's grave.


	22. Epilogue

Peregrine

Epilogue

My heart was racing as I sprinted away from the unconscious bodies of the two clones I had just encountered. I had come upon them suddenly, the boy and girl both looked surprised as I likely did as I fumbled for my mobile. They didn't make a move to attack me at all as I sent a simple 'x' to the secure messenger I had with Cicada and Olivia Hall.

The first thing that struck me was how young they both were, they looked to be in their late teens. A few seconds of bewildered staring past before they both stiffened suddenly, then collapsed on the floor. I let out the breath I had been holding, at least I knew instructions worked and that Cicada was playing along…for now.

I didn't hang around once the two clones had been dealt with, I had to get to as many as I could, knocking them out and so eliminating the necessity to kill them. I hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but old habits died hard and I had made sure I could hear the secure line from Diana to 47 as well as my own. I told myself it was to make sure I knew where 47 was, but in reality I knew it was because I didn't trust Diana. Clearly my instincts had been right, and I had made my hasty plan as soon as I had heard her give the order to eliminate the clones.

I sprinted on, not entirely sure where I was going. I wanted to neutralise as many clones as I could and then find a way to get them out. A swell of muted gratitude towards 47 overwhelmed me, he had resolved to only kill them if they were conscious and in his way. It was all the lifeline I needed. My mobile was clutched in my sweaty hand as I veered wildly past empty rooms. The place felt like it had recently been abandoned, had we been too late?

Skidding round the corner I ran into three people. I quickly ascertained they were all wearing hospital gowns, I shot off another 'x' not waiting to see them collapse. I had established this simple message will Hall the previous night before…well, before my world had been turned upside down. I had a GPS enhancer on my phone so whenever I messaged Hall she would be able to see my exact location and isolate any microchips in the vicinity. It was elegant and efficient.

I was sure there would be a main area where all the clones where being kept, although seeing so many wandering the halls was starting to unnerve me. I came to a fork in the corridor, dithering for a moment I hovered in the junction trying to decide which way to go. I knew 47 would have caught the lift down by now and would be hot on my heels. Making a snap decision I took a left, and kept the pace up. I was revelling in the danger, keeping my mind busy was stopping the grief taking a hold of me. Although I was sure 47 wasn't going to be happy with me for a long time after this.

The corridor ended with no more encounters and I was starting to become suspicious of the deserted nature of the place. A large set of metal doors faced me with an electronic keypad lock. All the other doors I had run past had either been open or low security, this was a good sign I had found what I was looking for. Taking out my mobile I made short work of the lock, it gave a beep and flashed green. Tentatively I pushed the door open to reveal a vast room filled with an array of scientific equipment. I couldn't see anyone who looked like a Doctor, or anyone who looked like a clone for that matter. My heart sank as I assumed I had failed to find where they were keeping them, but a movement out of the corner of my eye stopped me before I could turn to leave. I stared again at the large laboratory style room, slowly moving shapes of varying sizes became apparent to me that I had seen before.

My jaw dropped in a horrified expression as I finally saw what the shapes were. They were foetuses, suspended in fluid filled containers. There were hundreds of them, some no bigger than a pea, others almost fully developed. I shut the door hurriedly behind me and heard it click as it locked once more. Slowly I advanced into the room, passing rows and rows of developing clones. They were on benches along with a bunch of papers and scientific instruments. I paused to look closely at one of the foetuses, it had grown a tiny pair of arms and legs but its eyes were still huge black dots in its tadpole like face. A thin umbilical cord came from its stomach and trailed out of the container and up, where it was connected to a large bag of some fluorescent blue liquid. I couldn't read what the liquid was, but I guessed it wasn't what most normal human babies got given in the womb.

I felt the bile rise in my throat as I straightened up. There had to be at least two hundred foetuses in this room, what kind of life would they expect to have when they were grown? There was a set of papers on the bench nearby, and I found myself moving over to them. The one on the top had an official look about it.

 _Classified_

 _Project_ _Wechselbalg_

 _Property of_ _Avenir Pharmaceuticals_

It was printed in bold, red letters on the cover. Gingerly I picked it up, not sure what I was hoping to find in it. Complex equations and reams of experiment reports met me as I flicked through the paper. Eventually something caught my eye, the ICA's logo in the top corner of the page stared out at me accusingly. I quickly read the report and my blood slowly turned to ice.

Quickly I grabbed my mobile again and locked Diana out of the security system in this area, turning off the cameras as I did it. I looked wildly around me, sure someone was going to catch me off guard but there was still no one. No one except the clone foetuses and me. I stared back down at the page I had open in horror. Child assassins, they were making child assassins here. That would explain why no one was over the age of 16 even though the project had supposedly been going on for longer than that. It also explained Dr Constantin's revulsion at his own creation.

"Oh my god." I breathed quietly, as I read the page once more to be sure.

 _In relation to Project Wechselbalg all assets will be ready on schedule. They will reach full operational maturity around the age of 7. The hormone injection will then either halt or slow the process subject to the client's request._ _We found the younger assets possess more skill in speed and stealth, whereas the older assets display heightened strength capabilities. All being well you should be able to deploy assets as soon as next year._

The agency was creating an army of child assassins to bolster their roster, child assassins who could be controlled like machines with a tiny microchip implanted in their brains. It was a horrifically elegant idea. Who would ever suspect a child of murder?

"I'm so sorry." I whispered to the tiny foetus in front of me. It floated, oblivious to the path it had set out before it. I jumped suddenly as a soft burbling noise from the back of the lab reached me. Moving past the rows of benches with their nightmarish containers I saw a line of clear Perspex boxes each dimly lit, each holding a fully formed, fully conscious baby. They ranged from new born to around one year old, all of them were strapped down, their tiny arms and legs immobilised, their eyes shut tight probably in a drugged stupor. The horror in me suddenly flared into rage, these tiny clones were living breathing beings.

There was a placard above each crib with a number, an assortment of information on their subject and what appeared to be the name of the person the baby was a clone of. I found myself drawn to the tiny creature who had uttered a cry, bringing me towards it. A bold red number seven was above the infant's crib, the baby looked to be about one year old and unlike its companions was wide-awake and squirming. Glancing at the placard I saw that the baby was female, there was some other statistics I didn't understand, but there were two names on this placard not one, and both I knew very well.

The baby girl angled her head to look at me, soft brown hair framing a slightly elongated face. My heart did a somersault as I stared into her gut-wrenchingly familiar ice blue eyes, my hands instinctively reaching out to the infant. She gave another burble, her pudgy hands clenching and unclenching as if she was trying to reach out too. The world seemed to shift under me; I had been completely alone until this moment. I had lost my family, I had no friends, the only person I was remotely close to was a heartless killer; I had no one. But the appearance of this tiny human cut through my darkened world like a knife, blinding me.

Without thinking I opened her prison and quickly hacked the lock on her bindings. They sprang open and the baby girl stretched her arms in a comically grown up way. She reached out to me again and began clenching and unclenching her fists with increased ferocity. Unsure whether this was a step too far I slowly reached my arms out to her, she frowned, frustrated with my indecision and let out a harsh cry. Immediately I pulled her up into my arms, the warm weight of her flooding through my chest as she clung onto my shirt for dear life. I hugged her to me, this tiny female copy of the person who had led me down this path of chaos and death, and felt complete.

The moment of calm revelation was shattered as a gruff voice shouted from across the room. "Who the fuck are you?!" I whirled around, the girl still clutched to my chest. An angry looking man in a white lab coat was staring at me from across the room. I felt the baby turn herself towards the source of the noise, the man caught sight of her and started marching towards us.

I wasn't entirely sure what happened next; the man advanced on us, a murderous look in his eyes, I saw him reach into his coat for something concealed and almost instantly my own pistol was in my hand and aiming at his head. I took a steadying breath in, _just like taking a photo;_ the man was running now, a gun appearing from his lab coat. I squeezed the trigger and watched as the neat, red hole appeared in his forehead. A perfect shot.

The man slammed to the ground and the baby in my twisted to look up at my shell-shocked expression. I glanced down at her.

"That brings the body count to six." I whispered to her. I didn't expect her to respond but her face suddenly split into a beaming smile, and she pressed a tiny hand to my face. I decided to take her with me somehow, I only wished I could help all the clones but alone it was nearly impossible. There was one thing I knew for certain, 47 and Diana would never allow me to save her. They had already decreed the clones' fate was none of our business, holding this baby now I didn't agree with them.

An alarm started blaring around us breaking the quiet, my head whipped around trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. Realisation dawned on me as I recognised the early warning signs of an overheating boiler system. Diana had pressed the self-destruct button on the Asylum. If my calculations were correct we had roughly ten minutes to evacuate until the whole building went up.

A loud banging accompanied the alarm making me jump; it was coming from the double doors. It was quickly followed by very stressed, very familiar voice. "Peregrine, open the door. It's me. We have to go!" I gripped the tiny clone to me tighter, I really didn't want to let her go. She stared up at me with her large blue eyes; they bored into me just like their adult counterparts had a habit of doing.

"It's okay. I'll get you out of here." And with that my mind was made up, I turned away from the door, away from the man I had given so much to but only received pain and grief in return. He shouted again, this time I could hear the anger in his voice even over the alarm.

"Perry!" The doors screeched as he tried to force them down. I looked around sure there must be another way out, I couldn't go through that door without 47 insisting I leave the clone behind. My eyes landed on a large grate in the ceiling. It wasn't anything to do with the advanced ventilation system installed in the basement, crawling in there would result in being engulfed in a fireball when the boiler exploded. No, this was an archaic ventilation tunnel that led up to the surface. Likely installed well before the modern system and kept as a back up in case the new one broke. I was only assuming this, but it was the best chance I had.

I carefully placed the baby on the floor nearby, she let out a heart-breaking whimper as I left her to drag a bench over to stand on. The grate was old and came away from its fittings easily, it clanged loudly on the floor and I grimaced waiting for 47 to have heard my clumsy attempt to escape. There was no more shouting, but I could have sworn over the alarm I could hear the sound of people screaming and gunshots.

The ventilation tunnel was dark and made of grimy concrete. I couldn't see any natural light, but it led off on a horizontal route before eventually going vertically up, or so I hoped. Jumping down off the bench I grabbed the baby, instinctively she clung onto me with a strength that was shocking. "Hold on now." I whispered to her, as if she could understand the urgency of the situation. As I clambered back up and prepared to pull myself up into the tunnel there was a renewed banging on the doors.

"Perry, I know you're in there. We have to go." My heart faltered at his desperate tone, but I had made up my mind. There was nothing he could offer me, I had known that from the start. Still I had blindly followed him into this world and lost pretty much everything in the process, my friends, my family and my humanity. I had just shot a man in the head without even thinking. The least I could do was try and do a good thing, save an innocent from a life of misery and certain death.

Gritting my teeth I hauled myself up into the dank tunnel and began crawling away, the baby girl clung to my shirt-front resolutely a muffled, happy gurgling coming from her as she buried her face into me. The tunnel suddenly turned sharply up, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw a tiny spec of sunlight far away at the top, and a row of iron rungs placed as a ladder leading up to it.

In the distance I could still hear the alarm and then a pained, angry voice shouting, "Morgan, god fucking dammit, come on!" My vision began to blur, and a strange numbness overcame me as I began to climb towards the light.

To be continued…

 **A/N: And that is the end of story number two. Fear not dear readers there is a third and final instalment** **to this tale, as before I will endeavour to get a good few chapters done before I upload, to shorten your waiting time.**

 **All that remains is for me to thank you for reading and I hope you are looking forward to see what happens to this new arrival to the Hitman universe I have created.**

 **See you all soon! :)**


End file.
